OTHER WORK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20046, 19 September 1939, Page 2

OTHER WORK

GARAGE EMPLOYEES MOVE BY GOVERNMENT INDUSTRY AND FARMING The plans being put into operation by the Government to meet unemployment which resulted from the rationing of petrol supplies were described by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, in an interview with the Labour journal the Standard. He said last week that he had already been advised that nearly 3000 men in the Auckland district would be thrown out of employment, temporarily at least.

Mr. Webb said that, with the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, he had already had discussions with the maufacturers to ascertain how many of the men with a knowledge of mechanics could be placed in secondary industries producing the consumer goods that the country was so badly in need of. The heads of all the departments of State had also been in conference last week planning out work, mostly in connection with clearing Crown lands to bring them into production and assisting farmers to clear and drain their lands.

Mr. Webb said that on Scheme 4b about 3500 jobs had been arranged. The work was to be carried out on the contract system, the contract price being based upon earnings of JBs a day for a five-day week. The Labour Department was contributing up to 75 per cent of the wages cost, the balance to be found by the farmers.

Regarding those men who had just been thrown out of employment as a result of the war conditions, Mr. Webb said they would be able to qualify for the unemployment benefit under the Social Security Act in cases where work could not be provided for them.