REQUESTS FOR RELIEF

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 90, 13 October 1934, Page 16

REQUESTS FOR RELIEF

BOARD'S INQUIRIES

WORK TO CONTINUE

The Unemployment Board has decided definitely that it ■will not abandon the custom of utilising inquiry officers for the purpose of obtaining or checking information necessary to determine the eligibility of applicants to receive money out of the Unemployment Fund. An announcement to this effect was made last night by the Acting Minister of Employment (the Hon. J. A. Young).

The Minister said that a misunderstanding had arisen amongst registered unemployed as a result of a published report that the practice of using inquiry officers was to cease at once. His statement that the board would not stand for the relief worker being refused any further relief because his wife would not give information to an inquiry officer referred only to the particular case which did exist there. Inquiries had revealed that good reason existed in that case.

Tho experience of the board had shown that it was necessary to have this machinery for preventing persons obtaining' benefits from the fund for which they had no claim. It had been found that, in spite of the declaration which was signed by every applicant, attempts were made to impose on the fund. ■

The Minister pointed to a case which had just occurred in which a man had declared that his wife and four child-, ren were living with him, whereas they were not, and he had not contributed to their support for years. Until the fraud was disclosed, he had been receiving relief on the highest scale, whereas he was eligible only for the amount granted to a single man.

On the other hand, continued Mr. Young, the system operated to the advantage of the applicants themselves. There was a case in which a -man who had applied for relief notified, he was not in good health, but did not refer to the health of his family. When an inquiry officer called at his home it was discovered that both his wife and his child wore in need of medical treatment. As a result, he was given assistance beyond tiiat which he was entitled to on his application.

"The board is in the position of trustee with the duty of doing what is fair both to the unemployed and the taxpayer," continued the Minister. "It cannot do justice to either side if it does not inform itself to the fullest extent of the actual circumstances of each applicant for assistance. For this purpose some system of obtaining and verifying tho information must be maintained."

The declaration which applicants for relief are called on to sign is as follows: —"I hereby renew my application for Tclief under the Unemployment Act, 1930, and its amendments, and do solemnly and sincerely declare that the foregoing particulars are true, and that no particular which would affect the amount of relief to be granted has been omitted. I! know and realise that in the event'of my knowingly supplying false information I render myself liable to a fine of £20, and shall he denied any form of relief by the Unemployment Board."