RELIEF OF UNEMPLOYMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1934, Page 9

RELIEF OF UNEMPLOYMENT

ROOM FOR HOUSING SCHEME MR. WILKINSON’S SUGGESTION. DESIRE TO ABOLISH BOARD. THE MINISTER SHOULD CONTROL. (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. A suggestion that the Government should consider abolishing the Unemployment Board and transferring control to a Minister of the Crown was made by Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (Ind., Egmont) in his Budget debate speech in the house to-night. Opposing the Government’s policy of subsidising wealthy institutions from the unemployment fund Mr. Wilkinson said they and wealthy men who had been ‘assisted by way of subsidy to improve their properties should themselves - pay for the work. He could not support the practice of the subsidising of theatre building, hotel building and insurance office building. All those subsidies should cease.

He would prefer to see the Government take up the matter of house building and of providing accommodation for people in tire towns who were so cruelly treated in that regard. He considered there was a great field there for the Government, which could launch a policy of providing houses in the centres at low rentals, which’would ’materially help to relieve unemployment.

A Minister of the Crown was the proper person to conduct the ’ business now run by the Unemployment Board, which was a thing apart. Parliament had no control over its policy, the board being an organisation which was a law unto itself. The Minister was a mere figurehead, who isimply registered the decisions of the board, the’ latter being not subject to any effective criticism by members of’ Parliament. ’