"ABOLISH IT.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20362, 20 July 1934, Page 7

"ABOLISH IT.”

UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD ATTACKED. Mr Sullivan’s Indignation. "WANTON AND BARBAROUS CRUELTY.” (“Star ’’ Parliamentary- Reporter.) WELLINGTON, July 20. Initiating a Parliamentary attack on the Unemployment Board’s sustenance payments to B class workers, Mr Sullivan (Labour, Avon) to-day introduced a Bill to abolish the Unemployment Board.

“ I am taking this step,” declared Mr Sullivan, “to prevent a repetition of wanton and barbarous cruelty inflicted on several hundred Christchurch citizens by- the Unemployment Board.” These men, he explained, were employed by the North Canterbury Hospital Board and other local bodies. They were deliberately taken off the work and put on sustenance at halfrates. The Christchurch City Council had just had before it the case of a married man with five children who had been entitled to four day's’ work, giving him 37s 6d weekly, but, owing to the Unemployment Board’s action, his assistance was reduced to 235, some reduction being made because a little wisp of a girl in his family- was apparently earning five shillings weekly. The rent absorbed 15s a week. Mr M’Leod (Independent, Wairarapa) : What’s the Charitable Aid Beard doing? Mr Sullivan hotly- retorted that if the member took a proper interest in these things he should know that the Unemployment Board took full responsibility for the unemploy-ed and the Hospital Boards no responsibility. Mr Nash (Coalition, Palmerston North) : That’s the pity-. Mr Sullivan concurred, adding that the local authorities were willing to employ the men, but the Unemploy--ment Board came along and would not permit it. He was not appealing to the Government. He was demanding justice from Parliament. “ Neither a Prayer Nor Appeal.” “ I am not going to pray to the devil or appeal to any Government.” added Mr Sullivan, who, when reminded by Mr Speaker that this appeared to be a reflection on the Government, explained that the phrase was used in a literary sense. (Laughter.) If New Zealand had been successfully invaded by a foreign Power and it decided to take steps to destroy our people, nothing more effective could have been done than what the Unemployment Board was doing to these unemployed workers. Mr Sullivan said he wanted to see the Government use the powers "* in the original legislation and tell the Unemployment Board to pay the sustenance rate provided for which it authorised payment to a contributor of 21s weekly, to his wife 17s 6d a week, and to each child 4s a week. Mr Stallworthy (Independent, Eden) : What about the thirteenweek limit? Mr Sullivan: That requires alteration. The alternative is to provide work at standard rates of pay and standard conditions. Nothing worse than the recent action of the board had happened in the history- of the country-, and of all the wicked things the Government had done this was by- far the worst.

Mr Veitch (Independent, Wanganui) said that in his judgment new conditions had arisen since the present system of unemployment relief had been put into practice. He appealed to the Government and the House to have a complete overhaul and reconstruction of the unemplo\'ment legislation. “ Not to be Tolerated.'* Mr Savage (Labour, Auckland West) said that people were not going to put up with the present conditions for all time, and those who could not rise-to the occasion would not be tolerated. Where was the justification of one rate for the Maori and one for the pakeha, one for the country and one for the cities? This was not going to be allowed to go much further, and there must be a change. Mr M’Leod suggested that there was a tendency among Labour members to pick out special city cases, but he knew that the sustenance payments were as good as the payments made to all B class men in the country. It was very hard on many people to pay the high taxation involved, and no member ventured to suggest a higher tax. There was a cry throughout New Zealand about the taxation levied on people who were in work. Mr Wright (Independent Coalition, Wellington Suburbs) assured members that the sustenance grievance was very serious in Wellington, though less was heard of it than in Christchurch. People were becoming incensed over the intolerable position. They were exasperated because the House did nothing, but individual members were helpless. They could only warn the Government how grave were the issues at stake. MR SEMPLE'S ATTACK. Alleges Wrongful Use of Funds. (“Star” Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, July 20. A volent attack on a number of wellknown sheepfarmers, the Southland Frozen Meat Company, the Hawke's Bay Racing Club and the Prudential Insurance Company was made by Mr Semple (Labour, Wellington East) in the House this morning when speaking on a motion to introduce Mr Sullivan’s Unemployment Amendment Bill. In each case Mr Semple alleged wrongful use of unemployment or art union funds. Mr Semple said that one of the bestknown men in the country, a man who could afford to keep a string of racehorses, was getting unemployment subsidies to pay his men. Mr A. D. M’Leod: Name him Mr Semple: I will. Mr Eric Riddiford. Mr Semple asked the Minister of Employment to deny that Mr R. Levin was obtaining money from the Unemployment Board to meet obligations and commitments that he himself should pay out of his enormous income. Mr Semple also named Mr C. A. Cameron, saying that no one knew his income, but a while ago Mr Cameron

was receiving subsidies. Then there w-as Mr T. A. Duncan, another wealthy man, who made thousands out of the exchange rate. Who would suggest, said Mr Semple, that Mr Duncan had a right to the pennies of the poor taken from the poor for the poor? The Southland Frozen Meat Company also got a subsidy-. said Mr Semple, while it was paying a 384 per cent dividend, and while farmers in the surrounding districts were facing bankruptcy. The Hawke’s Bay- Racing Club was also attacked by’ Mr Semple, who said that it got £3OOO from aret union funds to meet its obligations to the bank, yet it was building a new grandstand and a new- members’ room on a subsidy from the Unemployment Board. The butchers’ strike was also broken by a subsidy from the Unemploy-ment Board, said Mr Semple, thus enabling the freezing companies to put in the chain sy-stem. Money’ taken out of the pockets of the workers was used to create a weapon with which to thrash and put these men on relief for all timefl As a result, to-oday* young women were working in slaughterhouses, doing work which was repulsive to strong men.