RELIEF WORKERS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 347, 7 October 1932, Page 5

RELIEF WORKERS

SERIOUS POSITION MINISTER GIYES HINT OF r POSSIBLE TAXATION ' . PROPOSAL NO SUGGESTlONS OFFERED Wellington, Thursday. "An opportunity may be given the House before the end" of this sessiori, fo* say what'it Vill 'do 'toward making better jprovision for relief workers,'' said the Acting-Minis'ter of Epiployment '(Hon. !Adam Hamilton) *ih the House 'of Representatives this afternoon ' when replying to requests 'from Labour members? for legislation ' to preverit the eviction of reli'ef workers fro'm their homes. The discussioh on the matter was instituted by'Mrl R.'McKe'en (Labour, Wellington South) who moved an ad.journhieht of the House in order that the position'oi the relief workers in general ' an'd o'f one case in 'his own 'electofate in"' pafticular, might he di'scussed. The condition of relief workers today was 'tfagic, Mr. McKeen said, and quoted incidents of hardship caused tKfough men being unable to pay ren't. ' The Government was loolc'ing aft'er the' 'farmers hut was neglecting the men in the towns. It was the duty of the House to bririg about ari, adjustment in rents or' to provide sufficient money to enable *t*he relief workers" to pay the rents at present ruling. Other Labour members spoke on similar lines and Mr. R. A. Wright (Govt. Wellington Suburbs) asked if members were prepared to impose additional taxation to provide something toward th'e relief workers' rent? It had heen said that the Government had no heart. Easy To Siay It Mr. Hamilton said that it was easy to say "that hut he had been listening all the afternoon to see if those who were complaining about the position, wpu|d suggest what should be done. Mr. J. A. Lee (Labour, Grey Lynn) : Pay °them a decent wage. The only "suggestion made had been that from the member for Wellington suburbs, the Minister continued. His suggestion that taxation for unemployment funds should be increased was the only real solutipn but it would he opposed By a good many members of the House. The relief workers were not the only people who could not pay their rent. ' Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Labour, Christchurch East) : I can't pay mine. The Minister: A lot of us find it difficult to pay our rent. Mr. P. Fraser (Labour, Wellington Central): But you're not evicted. Difficult Question The Minister said the only suggestion that had previously been made was -that the men in the cities should be given an extra 10/- a week, bur, actually the city finemployed were about 10/- better off than the relief workers in the country. The ques-

tion of rent was a difficult one, he added, and asked "on what basis are we to fix the rent that should be paid?" Rents were from 50 to 60 per cent above previous periods and the Government could not be expected to find the money to pay rents on that basis. In most cases, if workers could get homes for 10/- or 15/- a week, they would he able to manage. "It is all very well to say that we should accept the liability for these rents," he said, "but as soon as we did that we would shoulder a very heavy liability indeed. An opportunity may be given to the House before the end of the session to say what it will do towards making better provisions for relief workers and to decide wh'ere revenue is to come from. At the same time, I doubt very much if the House is prepared to go further in lmposing taxation for the purpose of providing relief." The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. H. E. Holland, claimed that the Minister avpided the real issue. The request wa's* not for future action but for sdmething to be done immediately. Surely the Minister realised that Parliament could not sit quietly h'y and see families evicted. No system of taxation inerease would meet the position. There was only one remedy and that was to give the people sufficient wages and- the danger of evictions would disappear. At present the poor were paying for the upkeep of the poor. The problem was one of orgaxiisation. The Government and not fhe landlords were respohsible for the position which had arisen/as many landlords were suffering as niuch as'the tenants. As a result of deflation there was no shortage of houses and the Government 'should lay down a hard and 'fast rule that. no evictions 'would take place. Tlie mot'ion was defeat'ed hy 43 votes to 26." * Messrs ' Atmore, Black, Rushworth and Tirikatene voted with Labour, . "