NEW SOUTH WALES DOLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 244, 15 October 1931, Page 11

NEW SOUTH WALES DOLE

ENORMOUS COST.

W HOLESALE IMPOSITION. ’ ’

The enormous increase in the cost of the dole that has taken place since the first half of 1930 was revealed by the figures quoted by the deputy-leader of the Opposition, Mr. Stevens, in the New South. Wales Legislative Assembly recently. Mr. Stevens, referring to the position of the unemployed relief funds, said that figures he had before him presented a case for immediate action on the part of the Government. The Premier’s admission in his Budget speech that there must be grave imposition going on somewhere was in itself an indictment of the Government. For the year ended June, 1930, the food relief expenditure had been £350,000, or £67UO a week. To-day the weekly expenditure was £IOO,OUO, or 15 times as much. The number of registered trade unionists unemployed in the State in June, 1930, was 55,000, while a year later the number had reached 130,000, an increase of 136 per cent. In December, 1930, the wage bill on which the tax was levied was at the rate of £106,000,000 a year. This had fallen to £84,000,000, showing a decline of £22,000,000 or 20 per cent., in the wage bill of the State. There was such a remarkable lack of harmony between the results disclosed that only one conclusion emerged—that there was wholesale imposition of fraud in relation to the ad ministration and financing of the food relief services of the State.

The Government, said Mr. Stevens, was responsible for the position. Stricter supervision and adequate safeguards against fraud were essential. Every effort should be made to divert as much of this expenditure as possible to work of a character which would contribute to an expansion of productive wealth. In Queensland every person was allotted a task to perform in return for a daily or weekly payment. In his opinion, Mr. Stevens added, the deficit for the year would be considerably greater than forecasted unless changes were quickly effected. An examination of detailed figures showed that the railway service expenditure for the year could be reduced without any further dismissals and without creating any undue hardship. The greatest handicap from which, the service was suffering was the unnecessary burden which had been added to railway working expenditure as a result of political interference.