MORE RELIEF WORK.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 197, 20 August 1931, Page 6

MORE RELIEF WORK.

Jobs for the Full Quota Next Week. AN EARLY IMPROVEMENT. After having been cut down by £360 last week, the allocation for unemployment relief work in Christchurch ha been restored this week to the full quota of £IB4O. Information to this effect was received in Christchurch this morning. “We are going to spend every penny of it,” said Cr J. W. Beanland, chairman of the Works Committee of the City Council. A mistake that many local bodies made, he said, was that they did not spend the full allocation-. That led the Government to the belief that the money was not needed. “We can do with every penny of it,” said Mr Beanland. “Instructions have been given for a full quota of men to be put on next week.” An improvement in the unemployment position is expected tj>y Mr Beanland, who expressed the opiiiion that, shortly, things would be better than they were at present. There were a number of jobs of considerable size, he said, that would probably be” commenced as soon as the weather became better, and the wqrk thus provided must make a difference m the unemployment situation. FACTS NOT DISCLOSED. Unemployment Levy Cases Heard. TWO MEN CHARGED. Prosecutions under the Unempldyment Act were brought before Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., this morning, two men being charged with obtaining money from the Unemployment Board bv false pretences. They were similar to other charges where men seeking relief had not shown their true circumstances on the application forms. William Albert Shirley (Mr Twyneham) pleaded guilty to obtaining £9 7s 6d from the Unemployment Board by false pretences. Senior-Sergeant Fox said that the accused had failed to disclose two sums of money on mortgage—£6oo and £l7O. The income from the £6OO was being collected by a sister of the accused who was not benefiting sufficiently from a will. If the circumstances had been disclosed the accused would not have obtained the relief he did. Mr Mosley said that the accused was to be commended for helping his sister along. Mr Twyneham said that he had been doing it for four years. The case was dismissed under Section 18 of the Offenders' Probation Act provided the accused paid £5 to Mr R. T. Bailey, officer in charge .of the Labour Department, within twentyfour hours. A similar charge was laid against William Charles Lambert with respect to £5 18s 9d. The accused pleaded not Senior-Sergeant Fox said that Lambert had failed to disclose £l5B which was in his wife’s name. The accused said that he did not know the money was there. Mrs Lambert had filled in the form which he handed in. Mr Mosley: Well, I think the least said soonest mended. The accused said that he had been unemployed on and off for three years. It looked as if his wife could balance the budget better than the Government. He could not pay the money and would not ask his wife for it. The accused was ordered to pay the amount p£ £5 18s 9d within twenty-four hours, in default tvrenty-four hours’ imprisonment During the hearing, the Magistrate drew attention to Section 31 of the Act which, he said, brought within its scope people who did not disclose all the true facts on the forms w’hich had to be filled in.