DOLES TO UNEMPLOYED.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1922, Page 5

DOLES TO UNEMPLOYED.

COST IN GREAT BRITAIN. ESTIMATE OF £136,000,000. A statement of the cost of unemploy- 1 ment relief in Britain was made by Dr* Macnamart., Minister for Labor, to a deputation. He said that, as from November, 1920, the number of insurable workpeople under the Unemployment Insurance Acts had been increased from 4,000,000 to 12,000,000. Owing to the very severe unemployment which set in about that time, new entrants into insurance could not satisfy the usual condition of prior payment of contributions before drawing benefit. It was therefore decided to graft on to the permanent structure of the Act an emergency scheme under which benefits could be drawn without prior payment of contributions. The total amount of unemployment benefit paid since November. 1920, was some £85,000,■000; and provision hadi been made for the possibility of the payment of a further £51,000,000 between June, 1922. and July, 1923. In, order to obtain the necessary funds, tlie borrowing powers had been increased to £30.000.000. With the funds available it had been decided to continue the unemployed workers’ dependents’ grant—ss to the wife, and Is for each child to the end of June, 1923. Further provision had been made for “free,” or uncovenanted, benefit. Funds would be available which permitted of the payment of 37 weeks’ benefit between April of this year and the end of June. 1923. Tn order that this money might be used to the best advantage, it had l>een decided that 22 weeks’ benefit should be paid, if neces-. sary, during the coming winter and early spring. This left 15 weeks’ benefit available between April and the end of October this year. And to spread out the limited funds in the best possible manner, it had been provided in the Act that periods of five weeks of* benefit should alternate with five weeks “gaps ’ until the end of October. A further period of five weeks’ benefit commenced on June 15.