“PERMANENT PAUPERS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 563, 16 January 1929, Page 1

“PERMANENT PAUPERS”

DANGER OF CHARITABLE AID HARBOUR BRIDGE AS CURE Complaining of the expense of relieving unemployment and of over-spent estimates, yesterday, the chairman of the Hospital Board also urged that some big relief work like the harbour bridge should be started. $ The board made its usual lamentation over the large amount of money spent in the city to help distressed families. The chairman, Mr. William Wallace, said that for the nine months ended December 31, 1928, there had been an over-expenditure of £3,041 on hospital maintenance and of £11,287 on outdoor relief. This made a total shortage of £I3,3SG. MAY SPEND £40,000 There has been a great deal of extraordinary payment—the result of unemployment,” he continued. “Our estimate wa% £30,000 for the year, but it is now £33,787, with only nine months gone. We will probably spend £40.000. “The position is a serious one, and l would like to see some big work like the bridge across the harbour started, to employ more men. After the holiday it was simply terrible to see the men waiting in the passages. “We are making permanent paupers of the men. There is nothing more degrading than that men should crawl around, looking for help,” declared Mr. Wallace. “A woman with eight little children was in to see me. The husband had got a job, but there was not a bite in the house until Friday.” NATIONAL PROBLEM Mr. Wallace said that the problem of unemployment was no local one, but a national one. It should be dealt with in a permanent way to relieve New Zealand of the disgrace of having hundreds of men out of work. Mr. M. J. Savage, M.P., said that 97 out of every 100 of the unemployed would go to the country if they could get work there. The situation was getting worse; able-bodied men were being humiliated by the class of relief being given to them. Common sense applied to the Government should do away with “bad times.” Mr. W. K. Howitt said that the relief work was breeding a race of people without stamina. Mrs. Alfred Kidd objected to the “great economic waste” of giving money away for no service. “If the Government is worthy of the name, it should evolve a scheme,” said Mr. Wallace. “Auckland Board has been hit harder than any other with this relief.” Mr. J. D. Chalmers (solving it): New lands and new settlers. Mr. J. Rowe blamed the lack of work in the country on the importation of foreign articles, including timber.