THE DOLE

Waipa Post, Volume 42, Issue 3271, 12 March 1931, Page 7

THE DOLE

FIVE MILLION CLAIMANTS. In a memorandum submitted by the British Ministry of Labour to the Royal Commission on Unemployed Insurance, it was stated that nearly 5,000,000 persons claimed unemployment benefit during 1930. The debt on the fund to date is £61,750,000, and it is increasing at the rate of £43,000,000 per annum. Calling attention to the fact that the debt of the fund on 31st November, 1930, was £59,990,000, Judge Gregory, the chairman, asked: “Have we to frame a scheme by, which all that money is to be repaid ? ” Mr Bowers (Accountant-General of the Labour Department): I understand that the commissioners are asked to frame a scheme whereby it shall be solvent and self-supporting. Nearly 5,000,000 persons claimed unemployment benefit at some time or other during 1930, added Mr Bowers. In a previous year the number was 3,500,000, which was the normal number to claim out of nearly 12,000,000 insured persons. The debt of the fund to date was £61,750,000. It was increasing at the rate of £43,000,000 per annum. Other figures given by Mr Bowers regarding unemployment finance at the end of December, 1930, were:— Contributions paid by work people, *£14,000,000, by employers £16,000,000, and by the Exchequer £15,000,000. Cost of ordinary benefit and interest paid out of fund, £88,000,000. Transitional benefit, cost paid by the Exchequer, which may amount to £22,000,000. In reply to a question by Mrs Rackham, a member of the commission, Mr Bowers said there were 90,000, or 31 per cent, of the people drawing transitional benefit in July lash who had paid no contributions in the last two years. Another 25 per cent paid less than five contributions per year for the last two years.