UNEMPLOYMENT LEVY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 303, 17 August 1932, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT LEVY

WELLINGTON RELIEF WORKERS FORM DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. EXEMPTION REQUESTED. WELLINGTON, Monday. A request that the payment of the unemployment levy hy relief workers should bc waived on the ground of hardship was made to the acting Minister of Employment, the Hon. A. Hamilton, by a relief workers' deputation. The deputation was received pvrivately, but an official statement was issued subsequently on hehalf of the Unemployment Board. The Minister said he could and did appreciate the difficulties of unemployed men and he assured them of his and the board's sympathies in their troubles. He was .quite prepared to help wherever possihle, but had to eonfess that remission of the levy was not the easy matter it might appear to be. He pointed out that there were many thousands of employed men who, especially wben on rationed work, would receive little more, and sometimes less, than those who were on relief work. Th'ese had not only to pay the quarterly levy, but also had to p'ay the emergency unemployment charge of a shilling in the £. As a matter of ' equity those persons would also have to be exempted and the board's' income wonld suffer a further fall. Mr. Hamilton pointed out that to grant the deputation's request would itself mean decreasing the relief workers' fund by £100,000 or more. He also said that there were legal difficulties and that an amendment of th'e Act would he necessary to give effect to the deputation's request.