UNEMPLOYED FUND

Hokitika Guardian, 15 August 1932, Page 5

UNEMPLOYED FUND

; WIDE COMMENT UPON ITS FINANCIAL POSITION, (Per Press Association—■ Copyright.) WELLINGTON,; August 13. . - Widespread , comment ’ has been ■/ caused by figures. appearing in. the quarterly accounts setting’out the position of the Unemployment Fund. / Over £IOO,OOO Jess has been paid out. for the months of -April, May and June of this year, than Was paid out in the same months of : 1931, despite the fact that contributions are considerably heavier tbit'year,.' ‘ > 1 “These figures are so startling as to be incredible, and call for/Ministerial explanation,” said Mr C. : H ; Chapman, / Labour M.P. lor Wellington North, who hag. pointedly called attention to them. “It is rather remarkable that . during the threepence in the pound taxation period last yeftir the expendi- -, ture Was practically double what it has been during the same period thi* • year, with the wage .tax increased to a shilling in the pound*”

According to the “Gazette” of August 4, he says, the balance of the fund At, Jtine 80 was £,987,277 i ;0r over ten times the balftncd ftt June 80, 1981. The figures showed that the Uheniploy- } . ment Fund- cosh balance at the latter ' 7i date was £69,118, By; .the; beginning ; of April last -it had increased to £184,966. During three months of the currentfinancial year the receipts shown j were 1 • £109,004; from levy, £833,829 from emergency charge, %nd • i £2ll from fines, a total of £9*42,545, or /. a grand total of receipts _pf £1,127,511. Turning to the' expenditure side'of the account, Mr Chapman pointed out -", that the amount • shown -gs paid out during April, ,May and- Jyue this year,, £138,213, wa«; much lessTtham for the. 7 .•/; corresponding-, period of ' last year, £251,280;. .; ,>■ *_ .7 ■ He further quoted the accounts# as : }; / showing bn the expenditure side, a balance at the end of three months, as at: • June 30 last, cash £453,165 and . imc presW outstanding in- 'th^': Dominion ‘ £534,112, total of £987,277, as po#/ paled ’with for the correspond- ■ ing period last year, - -‘The balance at the “ig in most 'striking contrast—over ten times as great,” , : RELIEF WAGE INADEQUATE.

MR FRASER Y/GOVERNMENT. : ; ///-,•/ CARTERTON, August 13. •j Mr Peter Fraser,- M.P., addressed-a V good meeting at Carterton last evening. He referred to “inadequapy , of the unemployment wage”; stigmatised the Government’s policy of land settlement, and/ small' farms aa “fu- , tile” 5 blamed the immigration .policy of previoua Governments lai the v caMe « ;■ of the present - of 7 the 1 coup- / try j condemned the - Government for its "inability to control the financial ; situation,” stated that taxation : must stop, / : • ' -' Education he said, had been pared so thinly that they were now under the minimum. He .strongly criti- , cised the pension cuts '- and railway “blunders” of ’ the present and previous Governments, ■*,.*• *• ■ 7 ■ He advocated; the planned production of primary produce , and the promotion of reciprocal trade with Great Britain and other countries, together with organisation contracts providing for the sale of Dominion products overseas. Land settlement was important, and he suggested development by means of fertilisers purchased by farmers on long credit. g " jl r Fraser urged th© cpnßtruction of roads/ Government encouragement and assistance, fb/ all industries / a reduction in rents and taxes; the establishment of a State- Bank and reorganisa- -;•/« tion of the banking system- and credit resources;- . A vote of thanks was accorded Mr Fraser. : , /