UNEMPLOYMENT. LEVY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18852, 15 April 1931, Page 2

UNEMPLOYMENT. LEVY.

MANY DEFAULTERS. The South Canterbury Unemployment Committee last evening discussed the question of men employed and earning regular wages or salaries, and those who had set incomes, who were not paying the unemployment levy. This matter was introduced by the Rev. Harold T. Peat, who said that the position was that a man who was out of work and wanted it could not get it because the Unemployment Board was short of funds. The cause of this, he believed, was that a great many people who were able were not paying their levy. It had been suggested that men who were out of work and had not paid their levy should not be given work, but this was like the old-fashioned principle that if a man was in debt he was slung into gaol until he could pay. There was a rule regarding the unemployed man who had not paid, and he moved as a recommendation to the Board, that this be deleted. Mr Chiles seconded the motion. Mr Peat said that the difficulty in this connection could be got over by giving authority to the local bodies who employed such men, to receive from the worker a charging order for the deduction of the amount of the levy from his pay. “Why is it the Unemployment Board is short of funds?” asked Mr Peat. “Is it on account of the non-payment of the levy by people able to do so?” Mr McKessar: “An instruction has been issued by the Board that all applicants for work must drop one week out of every four weeks, but that any lost time through wet weather may be made up in the fourth week.”

Mr Peat: “Is it a fact that a number of people throughout New Zealand able to do so have failed to pay their levy?” Mr McKessar: “I have nothingofficial, but I understand that a great number of people have not paid.”

Mr Peat: “I think it is a scandalous thing that men in receipt of regular wages are not paying this levy. If they did the Unemployment Board would not be short of funds. I would like to see this Committee recommend the Board to seek legislation to I enforce payment of the levy by ! people in receipt of regular pay, fail- 1 ing which they would be fined £50.” The Mayor (Mr W. Angland): “That is outside our province.” Mr Peat: “I don’t know that it is. I have a pretty shrewd idea that a great number of people have not paid. I have sympathy with the man not in regular work, but I have no sympathy with the man in regular work who does not pay.” The speaker then moved: “That it be a recommendation to the Unemployment Board to urge Parliament to enforce payment of the levy by all men in receipt of regular wages, salaries, or other income, failing which they be fined not less than £50.” Mr McKenzie: “Is that not in the Act already?” Mr McKessar: “There are a number of people who are neither employers nor employees, who are not paying.” Mr Foote seconded the motion. He said the statement had been made that the fact that the levies were not being paid was the cause of the falling off of the Unemployment Board's funds. This was not so. The falling off was due to there being too many unemployed. This would not help the Unemployment Board, but what would help it would be the doubling of the levy, and it would come to that yet. The motion was carried.