RELIEF RATES

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 32, 8 February 1933, Page 5

RELIEF RATES

CITY ALLOWANCES

POSSIBLE REDUCTION

MR. WRIGHT PROTESTS

A fear that the financing of unemployed, on the land might mean a reduction, in the allocation to relief workers in the cities was expressed by Mr. E. A. "Wright (Government, Wellington Suburbs) in the course of the second reading debate on the Small Farms (Belief of Unemployment) Bill in the House of Bepresentatives last evening. Mr. Wright also stated that it appeared as though there was no available Crown land worth while taking up. "I hope that there are Crown lands that can be set aside, but IJcnow that ■when ■ the Department has been approached from time' to time by people anxious to settle on Crown lands they have practically come up against a dead wall," he said. "They have been told that- virtually there is little or no firstclass Crown lands available." No objection can bo found to the provision in the Bill in regard to the taking of other lands, but it was in connection with that clause that the main difficulty arose—the amount of money required to purchase' land. It was. stipulated that the money was to be taken from the amount collected for unemployment, and if that were the case, it would ; mean that the present allocations were to be cut down. "There can be no doubt about it," he said. ""We have already discovered that the Minister has hinted that thero would be a reduction taking place almost immediately. I think that has since been modified. However, the fact remains that there was somo reason why the Minister threatened to reduce it. lean only conclude that the Minister is running short, that it is being distributed in connection with the schemes that the board is endeavouring to carry out and there is a shortage, therefore the ,only alternative is to reduce." . . NOT OPPOSING EH,!. " Mr. Wright said that He was not opposing the Bill, which he believed •would do some good, but it should not mean that the present meagre allowances should be curtailed. The money 6hould be obtained in some other way. Surely the Government must realise that it. was 'impossible; for. the people •to live fon the-allowances they were receiving. ''Then,why persist in still further, reducing the amounts payable?" he asked. "I don't know where the country will come to if we persist in this direction." 'Men on relief works were paying very small amounts to the State Advances,' and that could not go on indefinitely. Landlords, • also, had been !very' reasonable. Discussing primary ■ production, Mr. Wright 'said-that it had been found that the demand for the 'coarse wools of the North Island was diminishing, and he suggested that the woolgrowers should-. ma.ke : some1 effort to introduce a different class of sheep. ; ' - Mr..T.D.' Burnett (Government, Teinuka):- What-would you;suggest? . , Mr. "Wright: A .professor at Masscy College.: said that spmetbing could, be done in this direction. At a later stage, Mr. E. Semple (Labour, "Wellington East) said that he would never support a Bill that proposed, to reduce the miserable pittance the unemployed workers were receiving in the cities ,to-day. . . '