“VICIOUS SCHEME.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 366, 7 March 1932, Page 8

“VICIOUS SCHEME.”

Unemployed to Work Forty Hours Weekly? SAME AMOUNT OF PAY. That the principle of asking unemployed men to work forty hours a week for the same amount of pay as they receive now for up to four days’ work had been considered to be vicious, was a declaration made by the chairman of the Citizens’ Unemployment Relief Committee (Mr E. H. Andrews) when the matter was discussed at the meeting of the committee to-day. Statements were made that the Government or the Unemployment Board intended bringing the new scheme into operation throughout the country very shortly, on the lines of its introduction into the Bay of Plenty district some weeks ago. The committee passed the following resolution:—“Having heard Mr R. T. Bailey’s explanation of the proposal, this committee, while not objecting to a limited scheme of forty hours a week as applied to farm work and country camps, trusts that it will not be applied to the general unemployment works undertaken by local bodies.” “ Work Cannot be Found.”

The chairman said that if the matter were not discussed soon, full details might not be available until the scheme were put into operation. The new proposal of the Unemployment Board or the Government, whichever was responsible, was to ask men to work for a full forty hours a week at the present relief rate of pay. Mr W. E. Leadley: Is that official?

The chairman: It is published in the newspapers. When we discussed it before. we were told that it was being applied only to the Tauranga district. Now it appears that it will be extended to the whole country. If we do no agree with it we should get our protest in early, for Parliament will be dealing with it probably this week. The general opinion before was that the principle was a vicious one. It practically standardised unemployment and made it a permanent thing, at wages on which married men, particularly. could not live. This must apply to single men on farms. In general, if all the unemployed were asked to work forty hours a week, where are bodies such as the City Council to find the work?

The chairman added that it was with the utmost difficulty now that the City Council was able to find jobs for the men. The new proposal would increase the cost to local bodies. One strong objection was that the men, whom the committee had tried to encourage in the matter of finding work for themselves, would not be able to do so. Quite a number of njen who were on relief work for two or three days a week managed to secure a day’s gardening here and there. It was desirable that the men should rely on their own resources as much as possible. “ Not Fair to the Men.” Mr W. W. Scarff said that if local bodies had the work available their expenses, such as the provision of tools, drays and material, would increase so much that it would not be possible to carry on. It was not fair to tie the men down to forty hours a week. The speaker did not know’ what would happen if the scheme were put into operation. Mr W. E. Leadley: It is always dangerous to argue in public on rumours. Before we criticise we should wait until we get the scheme before us. “It is too late then,” declared Mr G. Lawn. “We may be entirely wrong,” continued Mr Leadle}*. “If we can indicate through the public or the Unemployment Board that we are opposed to a scheme on the lines of that brought forward, that would be sufficient. What will happen if a nebulous scheme such as this is put into operation is not for us to decide just now.” Discussion in Committee. When appealed to, Mr R. T. Bailey, officer in charge of the Labour Department at Christchurch, said that he “ knew quite a lot about the scheme, but was not prepared to make a statement except in committee.” The chairman: I know that this thing is pretty definite, and is in operation already in one part. After a discussion in committee the motion was reported as having been carried.