STATE RELIEF

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1932, Page 6

STATE RELIEF

600,000 PEOPLE IN .VICTORIA

.' SVDNEV, August 18. - -Startling figures, were revealed by the Premier of Victoria 1 (Sir. . Stanley wrgyle) the other day when .he showed that .more than one tjhird of,the population of- Victoria was .receiving-- as* .ii.sthnce in' tjioriie shape or form ' from funds .provided t by the taxpayers. Actually .604,513 people w;re being B a s !iib,500,000 -a year, -these figures embracing -those- containing aid from both the tioni'nonwealth and Stqte sources.

Dealing with Victorian .eontributipns th© Ppemieir said -that • tlrere 14,363 children maintained wholly ,6i, ni part by the 'State .at a . cost .of *>363,681-.,;®.,- year.;. 243,584. Individual were receiving assistance from . the various Jjospitslg. .and ..chgr.ities ; „of ...the State at. an annual cost of £259,809.;. 6173 "in .meritpl asylums cost .£1324,521 ; 1233, under the Miners’ 'Phthisis Euup absorbed £33;220 ; and .more .than 90J -iorm.er,- soldiers were provided .with, pisses'! of’ various kinds at a cost oi *>11,252. ' - •'! - - Under the hepdipg pf - nnejpploywtnt,16 ..000 were .receiving sustenance . at an, annual .cost to the State of £1,480,-. 333. 'There- were 8316 miners • rpcefy nig special assistance- ’at a-vcPst- -wf £43,610, and; in"- -addition,- - grants wpre being made to other miners in vbiving?an annual 'spm of ■ £21,783. dn Victoria the State Government was as? sisti-ng'438,446 people in one way or another,--.and the total icosts .in' rotind; figures was £2,500,009. To these figures have to he added ; 166,000 .Victorian people for whom the Commonwealth provided through war, - oidr iige and in' alid pensions £5,500,000 a year. There was of< course eoni e overlapping tin- th© various i,forms. of re-

li .tf, but the total expenditure 'remained the (same.UvSir Stanley! pointed ond-. .that ; Victoria’s‘ vpopulation 1 was well under -2,000,000. * A little ismoi-O than a million of* these wer e />un the ..electorate rolls, and were taxpayers. They were 1 carrying the bulk of the burden-involved in the : granting of assistance. -When ,he was * asked to -put the finances of the- State 'in- order, ftis reply must be: “However benevolently disposed we may be, and however we may be inclined to - assist the under dog surely it fnust be- realised that we cannot afford to continue our assistance on the present scale.” - As with the rest of the States, fit 0 Victorian Cabinet is ' ' now! grappling with the difficult prpjilqm of reducing its* expenditure'to within the limits set down by thb Premiers’ plan. Events* •i,ve shown how tliorojAgbly justified the option of than plan was, and it will be of great interest to see what further economy the’ "kaYidvis ‘ (foVetflmonte -will .propose. .