UNEMPLOYMENT

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21415, 6 March 1935, Page 9

UNEMPLOYMENT

LABOUR UNDER NO. 5 j SCHEME REQUEST TO PRIME ' MINISTER A request that the Prime Minister use his influence to have the present policy of the Unemployment Board altered to allow the farming and primary industries, and local bodies to use scheme No. 5 labour, was made by Mr J. B. Wilkinson, on behalf of the Ashley County Council, to the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes), when he was in Rangiora yesterday afternoon. Mr Wilkinson said that the Prime Minister's visit to Rangiora was an opportune one, as they had just received a communication from the Unemployment Board that all fit men working on the No. 5 scheme should be transferred to the Ashley river protection works. That, contended Mr Wilkinson, was not fair to the local bodies. He had written to the Commissioner of Unemployment relative to the matter, but by the reply the speaker had received it was evident that the commissioner had not read the statement he had forwarded to him, as he had missed the point of the statement. There was no doubt that the Dominion could not go on asking the primary industries to provide large sums of money for unemployment when it was obvious that they were themselves in a very low condition. He understood that Cabinet was the only institution that could alter effectively the present policy of the Unemployment Board and allow farming and primary industries and local bodies to use scheme No. 5 labour. Mr H. T. Metherell (chairman of the Ashley County Council) said that his council was using unemployed relief where possible, but it was extremely difficult to find continuous developmental work for the men, as the district was a scattered one and most of the work was maintenance. Mr J. Fitzpatrick (clerk of the Kowai County Council) said that they hfld experienced the same difficulty as the Ashley county. Inspectors from the board had stipulated that the work given to the relief workers must be developmental, but it was very hard to find such work to give employment to the men for any period. Mr Forbes said that he was pleased that the matter had been brought before him. as it was a vexed auestion. They had received complaints from the Labour people along the very lines mentioned by the speakers. He quite saw the point which they had emphasised. The difficulty was that some local bodies had not played the game and had put permanent employees off and taken on relief labour. He was not inferring that this had been done in Rangiora, but unfortunately it had occurred in some districts. He assured the speakers that he would talk the matter over with the Minister for Employment when he reached Wellington. BREAD FOR RELIEF WORKERS LOWER PRICE ARRANGED it'HES.S AaSOC'UTIUH TBURIi'tAV . AUCKLAND, March 5. In view of the number of ablebodied men who are reported to be in receipt of sustenance, the Auckland Metropolitan Unemployment Relief Committee decided to suggest to the Unemployment Board that a vigorouseffort be made to have these men placed in employment on constructive works. Details of an arrangement between the Auckland Master Bakers' Association and the Alliance of Labour, by which a concession in the market price of bread will be made to relief workers, were reported to the committee. Under this scheme, bona fide relief workers will be able to obtain the standard 21b loaf through any baker in Auckland at 4Jd delivered. About £3O was required to finance the scheme for the first week, and the committee decided to make an advance of this amount.