FOR XMAS RELIEF

Hokitika Guardian, 5 December 1930, Page 6

FOR XMAS RELIEF

UN EMPLO YED INCH EASE

£ FOR £ ON LABOUR ONLY

(By Telegraph—Press Association)

WELLINGTON, December 4

An increase of 636 is recorded this week in the registered unemployed of the Dominion making the total 8674. "With the approval of the Minister of Finance, the Unemployment Board has decided to-night to make a further £25,000 available by way of subsidy, on wages only, as a special measure for the relief of distress during this Christmas period. The amount voted to-night will be allocated to the local committees whose formation was urged by the Board several days ago in announcing that the proposal was under consideration. Special conditions are attached to the granting of the subsidies in the present Scheme No. 2. The subsidies will be granted on wages only in this instance, the rate being pound for pound; arid the work undertaken for which subsidy is given must be finished by the end of January. The rate of pay will be mutually arranged between the employer and the employee, and the subsidy will not exceed 7s per day for the following classes of work:

Country work:—(1) Improvements to, and maintenance of, land by way of stone clearing, stumping, draining, fencing rush grubbing, and burning or cutting, or spraying, scrub cutting and work of similar nature; (2) harvesting; (3) ploughing and harrowing after clearing only. City,' Town and Borough Work : Gardening, wood chopping, section clearing, subsoil drainage, trenching, and clerical work.

Several points are enumerated by the Board in its resolution agreeing to the granting of this £25,000 in subsidies on wages only. In accordance with the powers contained in the Act relating to the subsidiary functions of the Board, Special Local Committees will he appointed wherever possible. The Act states that the Board shall define the powers of these Committees, and that the members of them shall not receive any remuneration from the Board’s funds.

A second point made is that these Local Committees shall notify the citizens -in their districts of the work of the class approved, and the terms of subsidy. Where they exist the Labour Exchanges are to act in conjunction with the Local Committees, the members of which, will satisfy themselves that the proposed employee is registered under the Act. The Labour Exchanges and—or—the Local Committee must issue a card to the employer stating the maximum subsidy authorised and advising him of the names and particulars of the men sent to him for the work offering. The cm-' ployer will also sign a card for identification purposes. The employer will sign a card after the work is finished signifying that he has paid the employee a certain -sum. The employee will then, in accordance with the stipulation of the Board, take the card to the Executive of the Local Committee, one of whom shall be a Government Officer approved by the Unemployment Commission. This officer "will make out a voucher for the subsidy due, and certify it correct for payment by a local post office, as well as attaching the original card.

The amounts to be allocated to each Local Committee are to be approved by the Minister of Finance.

The Board urges that the Local. Com:inittees for carrying out of this second scheme should lie formed at once, so that work may be scheduled and men out of work found jobs over the holiday period.

It is emphasised' that the wages subsidy will be granted only' for work that would not otherwise be undertaken, and not for that which would he carried out in the ordinary course of industry. For instance, the Board will not subsidise an employer to keep one of his clerks in a job that he already holds. However, it will consider a wages subsidy if the employer is prepared to take on a clerk for a limited period and so create a position that would otherwise not he filled. Subsidies will be alloocated in districts where unemployment is acute, and each case will he considered on its merits.

Those men who desire to find work under this scheme must be registered at a recognised Bureau.

P. AND T. CASUALS

NO WORK FOR THEM NOW

AUCKLAND. December 4

Notices of dismissal served on casual employees ip the Post and Telegraph Department in the city and in other centres throughout the Auckland province, resulted in representations being made to the PostmasterGeneral, Hon. J. B. Donald, recently, by several Members of Parliament. Invited to make a statement on the positon, Mr Donald said today: “On account of the. had times, there is no work for these men. We are not receiving m many applications for telephone extensions. As we have no work, we cannot keep these, men, mostly linesmen, engaged. They are only casuals. We have only a certain amount of loan money to spend, v and if we kept these men on, we would have to put off a lot of permanent employees. It is not my wish, or the Department, to get rid of any men, but we have neither work nor money to keep them employed.”

CHICAGO MAYOR’S LOTTERY

TO AID UNEMPLOYED

DEAD U.S.A. PRESIDENT TO PICK THE WINNERS.

NEW YORK, December 3

Mr Bill Thompson, the Mayor of Chicago has announced an interesting manner in which he will avoid the difficulties in the way of the furtherance of his scheme for a milliondollar unemployment aid plan. The Mayor intends to distribute coupons worth a quarter of a dollar tTuough the shops. The holders of the winning coupons are to win prizes, while the remainder of the sum will he devoted to a general unemployment fund. The Post Office has objected to the scheme, on the ground that it is a lottery. The Mayor has decided, in order to circumvent this difficulty that he will “get in touch with the medium who is in touch with the late Governor Cleveland (former American President.” Mr Thompson, says: “I will tell Clever] and Grover, you were the President during a hard time period. AVe have a drawing here in a prosperity drive. I want you to pick the winning number.” The Mayor adds:

“I will get the numbers through the medium, who will he in a trance. Nobody hilt me will know what the numbers are.”