WORK FOR ARTISANS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 99, 21 January 1935, Page 8

WORK FOR ARTISANS

Results of Building Subsidies OVER 11,000 MEN EMPLOYED There has been a noteworthy demand for grants from the Unemployment Board under the Government's scheme for subsidising building construction as an aid to providing more employment throughout New Zealand. It is announced by the Hon. S. G. Smith, as Minister of Employment, that up to January 12 the Unemployment Board had received 3028 applications for subsidies in connection with the scheme. Of these, 266'3 were approved, involving an expenditure of £1,725,102. There were 268 applications declined on the ground that they either did not come within the scope of the building scheme or were, in the opinion of the board, buildings which should be proceeded with as private enterprise. As regards the provision of work for men at their own industrial trades the scheme is regarded as having justified a claim to something like outstanding success. All the applications granted were the means of employing no fewer that 11,138 men at their own work. Of the total expenditure in subsidised building, the sum of £893,000 was spent directly and indirectly on labour. The latest available registrations of unemployed, which were published recently, showed that the total on December 22 last was 54,707, as compared with 67,740 twelve months before —a reduction of 13,033. According to progress reports the position of employment has continued to improve this month. Since the Minister took over the portfolio of employment, he has had several long conferences with the Unemployinent Board.