RELIEF PAY CUT

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXVIII, Issue 30, 27 January 1933, Page 3

RELIEF PAY CUT

PURELY LOCAL ARRANGEMENT STATES HON. A. HAMILTON The reduction from 10s to 9s a day which was made in the pay of men on relief works in Christchurch was' a local arrangements, and has not been put into force in oths' parts of the Dominion. The Minister of Employment (the Hon. A. Hamilton.) had no knowledge of the reduction when questioned on the subject, and pointed out that the local authorities could make any arrangements which they thought fit in order to meet the position when the allocations had been reduced to conserve funds.

DENIAL ISSUED RATE OF PAY NOT REDUCED A denial that any instructions had been issued by the Unemployment Board that the pay of relief workers was to be reduced from 10s to 8s a day in the case of married men was given to Mr. J. McCombs, M.P., on Monday, by Mr. XV. Bromley, a member of the board. Mr. McCombs stated that when he saw the announcement that married men on relief works had had their pay reduced from 10s to 9s as from to-day, he was so greatly concerned that he telephoned at once to Mr.

Bromley in Wellington. Mr. Brom ley gave the statement an emphatic denial, said Mr. McCombs, and stated that nothing further had been done by the board in regard to the reduction other than what was done in November. In November it had been decided not to cut the wages of relief workers, but to -reduce the total allocations, and no proposal had been made to reduce the earnings of married men from 10s to 9s a day. Mr. McCombs explained that the City Council still paid the reliefworkers in its employ 14s Gd a day, which included' the council’s subsidy of 2s. For a time the council had been paying the men 14s, but an increase to 14s 6d was made because the workers were called upon to pay the wages tax.