MARRIED MEN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 181, 24 March 1932, Page 5

MARRIED MEN

("Post" Special Commissioner).

RURAL ALLOTMENTS AND WORK ON FARMS DETAffLS OF' PLAN

• WELLINGTON, Wednesday. "The Unemployment Board has managed to live within its income. This has been achieved only by the rigid economy necessary owing to the limited funds at its disposal, but there are many deserying citizens whpm the board has been unable to assist at all," said the Minister in Charge of Unemployment in his statement in the House of Representatives to-day. "Much of Scheme No. 5 work has been of limited value, but special investigation has shown that under sch- j eme 5 some 10,000 men are now engaged in work of a definitely prpduqtive nature such as land drainage and improvement. Scheme 4a will continu© and as many men as farmers are prepared to take will be made available under this scheme. "If satisfactory arrangements can be entered into with the farmers when the ^ farmer has no accommodation available for a man and cannpt provide it, a hut or materials to erect one will be provided.

Married Men's Position "Although the total of registered unemployed has fallen in the past five months there is one group in which the numbers have not fallen and that is the married men in the cities. While the total of single men registered as unemployed in the four main cities has fallen from 9000 to 7000, a drop of 23 per cent. The number of Unemployed married men in the cities was 11,500 in October and Is still 11,200 in March, a negligible drop of 2 per cent. "This brings me to refer to the first measure which we propose for the further relief of married men. We turn our attention to the land, and the proposed scheme of rural allotments. "Under this new plan sections of from five to ten acres will be acquired by any form of tenure which is most suitable to the case and a cottage of public works type will bd erected thereon. The allotments will b,e distributed throughout rural districts. The occupant of the section will be able to work some of the time for himself ori his own place in providing his own sustenance, and part of the time for a nearby farmer or anyone in the locality who can employ him.

Some Sustenance • "It is recognised that relief workers who are thus moved out will not immediately be able to earn an independent livelihood. Some part of the present relief allowance will therefore have to be continued. "Again there are many cases where a landowner could make available to a worker a portion of his 'land and the occupant could work in the same way — that is to say, part of time on his allotment and part for farmers in the district. "The Government now appeals fco all landowners and farmers to help in this time of stress. If they will respond, and I am sure they will, an impetus will be given to production. Men will be found employment and farmers will have additional labour and at least some of the men, we hope, will later beeome permanent settlers. "As typical of what can be done and something that has been done, we can pieture a farmer agreeing to take a relief worker and his family on to his place with a cottage provided the farmer " setting aside a few acres and providing a *cow or .two, pigs and such farm products as he can> while the relief worker agrees to work on stated terms on the farm. Emergency Measure This matter of placing unemployed on rural allotments has been i carefully considered and we are well ' aware of its difficulties and' of its limitations. It is not wholly a land settlement scheme, but rather an emergency measure to move some thousands Of pefsons into an environment with oppqrtunities for the individual. At the very least it will provide a shelter until the storm has passed, and is certaihly preferable to keeping families in congested areas with little hope or opportunity.