RATION ALLOWANCE

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 520, 1 August 1932, Page 7

RATION ALLOWANCE

Men with Families Granted 4s a Week. CASES BEFORE LABOUR COUNCIL Instances of what was alleged to be the inequitable and unsatisfactory manner in which the Government’s ration scheme is being operated in Christchurch were quoted to a meeting of the Canterbury Trades’ and Labour Council on Saturday evening. The question was raised for discussion when the Town Clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) wrote advising that at the recent conference of local bodies and relief oganisations it had been decided to ask the Minister of Employment to furnish full particulars of the scheme for granting relief to the registered unemployed. The council was asked to support the request. This it was decided to do, and the secretary (Mr W. J. Green) was instructed to criticise severely the unsatisfactory administration of the scheme.

Discussing the question this morning, Mr Green stated that cases were cited to the council of men with wives only to support receiving rations valued at 4s a week, and men with wives and three or four children receiving the same allowance. One man with six dependents had been advised after six weeks that his application for rations had been favourably considered, and he received the “ munificent ” allowance of 4s 6d worth of groceries. No provision was made for milk or firing. In yet another case, a man who received notice of nine days’ work had immediately had his ration allowance cut oft. SIX TONS OF COAL.

Gift from Sheffield to Relief Depot. FARMERS’ UNION ACTIVE. Six tons of coal from Sheffield are included in the gifts made to the Central Relief Depot. Members of the various Farmers’ Union branches have been at work, and as a result £lB worth of goods have been received by the depot, besides other donations. In reporting this to a meeting of the Citizens’ Unemployment Relief Committee to-day, Mr George Harper, chairman of the Citizens’ Relief Association, said that the relief depot in Addington had started, and already ninety-one persons had asked for relief. The Central Depot was able to give a certain amount of help, and was willing to supplement the rations of necessitous cases, even if they were receiving what they considered was not adequate relief. The association would do its best irrespective of whether the applicants had received ration tickets, if the district depot managers were satisfied that something extra was required.

Mrs A. I. Fraer reported that t^ie Ferry Road depot had dealt with 480 cases last week, which was about on a par with the previous week. The average ration had been increased slightly, but was not enough to give two rations each week to large families. There were present at the meeting: Messrs E. H. Andrews (chairman), W. W. Scarf, J. W. Beanland, R. T. Bailey, R. J. Ecrovd. J. S. Barnett, W. J. Walter, G. Maginness, George Harper, F. W. J. Belton, W. E. Leadley, A. Manhire. the Rev F. T. Read and Mrs A. I. Fraer. The Christchurch Relief Workers’ Union asked that as many members of the committee as possible attend the conference between the union and the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) tomorrow morning, regarding the ration .scheme. TAXATION OF WOMEN. Prime Minister Replies to a Protest. Recently the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council wrote to the Prime Minister (the Rt Hon G. W. Forbes) complaining that women were compelled to pay unemployment taxation and yet were not receiving benefit from it. Mr Forbes has replied stating that he has noted the protest and will be glad to arrange for the matter to be given careful consideration. RATION SCHEME.

Deputation to the Mayor and M.P.’s. Owing to the absence from the city to-day of the Mayor, Mr D. G. Sujlivan, M.P., the deputation representing, the unemployed which proposes to wait on the Mayor, Christchurch members of Parliament and members of the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee relative to the Government’s ration scheme, will be received to-morrow morning at 11 o’clock. FREEZING WORKERS. Relief Jobs Wanted in Off-Season. “What is the use of it? We can only refer the matter to Mr Bailey,” stated Mrs A. I. Fraer at a meeting of the Citizens’ Unemployment Relief Committee to-day, when the Freezing Workers’ Union asked that a deputation should be permitted to place before the committee the position of the unemployed freezing workers who w r ere debarred from receiving relief work during the off-season. The action of* the chairman of the committee (Mr E. 11. Andrews) in agreeing to receive the deputation w’as endorsed. The hearing of the deputation was taken in committee, and at the close it ■was reported that a sub-committee had been set up to investigate the matter and furnish a report to the committee.

CONTRACT RATES VARIED. The Unemployment Board, according to a circular received to-day by the Citiens’ Unemployment Relief Committee from the Commissioner of Unemployment, has decided to vary the rate

for married men in all contracts arranged from August 1 under the 4a scheme, as follows:—Married men without children 15s a week, married men with children 15s a week, plus 2s 6d a week for each child under sixteen years o fage, but with a maximum weekly subsidy of 25s a week. The board has decided also to increase the subsidy payable on the labour cost of contract labour for developmental work on farms (scheme 4b) from 33 1-3 per cent to 50 per cent. The contracts already under way would be at the old rate, the increased subsidy applying only to future applications.