BUILDING SCHEME

Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1933, Page 2

BUILDING SCHEME

l| ” (EFFECT OF NUMBER 10 SCHEME. I The Hon. Adam Hamilton, -Minister in Charge of Employment, stated that the Unemployment Board’s No. 10 scheme was effectively correcting the •collapse of tho building industry. That is quite correct, lmt what thcis6 who propose to build are more interested in is how to gain the subsidy. The. procedure is not bound by half ,as many regulations as the average per. son thinks. All that i, s necessary on the pari of the applicant i‘o r the sudsidy is the filling in of an application form in duplicate. It is necessary to - give the situation and description of the proposed work, and to state the reasons which would prevent the work being proceeded with this year without the assistance of a subsidy. If the work to be done'is the erection of a dwelling the applicant must state whether it is .for his or her own occupation or for .renting, end whether the work is to be done by day labour, private tender, or public tender. The approximate duration of the work and the approximate number of men to be employed is also requested. The last item required of the applicant is the estimated labour cost, and the' estimated total amount of subsidy to be claimed. The application is governed by a number 'of regulations. One condition of the grainting of the, subsidy is that wherever possible New Zealand materials 'be used, The subsidy paid on approved works from the Unemployment Fund is 33 1-3 per cent, up to award rates - on tho tota] wages paid in respect of li the. labour actually performed on tho premises, except in the case of the erection pf t new dwellinghouseg not exceeding £650. total building cost. On such works th<> subsidy will be 50 per' cent, on the wages up to award rates. There is one particularly interesting point, and that is that no subsidy will be paid in 'respect of wages for work performed,.:?, way from the premises, not-! withstanding that such work may l>e part of the approved job, and whether or not carried . out by the con--1 tractor for the approved job. Payment of the subsidy will not be made if the work is commenced prior to the approval of the board being com. rhunicated .to the owner, but no restriction will be imposed on the sources ■ from which the 'labour may be re-: oruited. The work must be commenced j within three calendar months ■of the ! date .of notification of approval. j Speaking of the scheme in Wellington j recently the Hon. Adam Hamilton, j : Minister in Charge of' Employment, said , that if the scheme were properly taken | advantage of beneficial effects should be. felt within two or three months. The 'solieme was sometimes 'oriticised because.; p'f the fact that the funds pol;. lectecl of unemployment j were used as subsidy to owners of j buildings putting work in hand, A J moment’s reflection, however, would, convince .the most ardent critic that j the unemployed worker gained • rather than .lost by the application of funds in'thi s direction. The worke r -himself engaged under the scheme benefited be- • cause he received full standard wsges as compared with the relief wages he previously received, or would be receiving if compelled to register as unemployed, and the citizen who decided .to spend his money in building at the present- time, thus helping to 'lift the country out of tho depression, was g®f' ting the advantage of a subsidy, plus the advantage:' of the reduced cost of building materials, and he was also j assisting in hastening the day when • taxation for purposes of -unemployment might be reduced.