EXTRA MILLION WANTED

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1933, Page 4

EXTRA MILLION WANTED

REQUEST FROM UNEMPLOYED DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER. ABOLITION OF CAMP SCHEME. PROTECTION FROM EVICTION. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A deputation representing the National Union of Unemployed, formed at a recent conference at Wellington, waited on the Hon. Adam. Hamilton to-day asking for the restoration of the sustenance cuts, the abolition of the compulsory camp scheme, discontinuance of piece work and immediate legislation to protect women and children from evictions. It also asked that no deduction be made When sickness or wet weather causes inability to work, and that in cases where wives obtain work to assist the home no penalty by way of a cut be applied to relief workers, and that where relief workers regularly earn a sum in addition to sustenance the emergency charge of one shilling in the pound be made on the additional earnings and not on the sustenance payment. The spokesmen were Mr. S. Vella, secretary of the union, Mr. R. Hedgland, assistant-secretary, and Mr. D. McLaughlan, treasurer. The deputation asked for an extra £1,000,000 for unemployment relief. Replying, the Minister said it would be a very diffiult matter to raise an extra £1,000,000 at present, although ha had no objection to taking the question to the Cabinet. No country in the world was doing more for unemployment than was New Zealand. He admitted there were anomalies in the present law. It was possible that these would be rectified next session if the Prime Minister approved of an Unemployment Amendment Bill being brought down. To grant some of the requests made would involve breaking the law as it at present stood. There was no intention of inflicting hardship on married men so far as camps were concerned. The Government was considering the question of evictions and found it a very difficult problem.