H.—lla

The amount appropriated included £12,500 (gross) to cover the administration expenses of the Employment Division, which were met by vote, " National Service," in the first instance and subsequently recovered from vote, " Labour." The net payments during the year ended 31st March, 1943, and corresponding figures for the previous year, including administration expenses, were as follows :— 1942-43. 1941-42. Employment Promotion Schemes— £ £ Scheme No. 4b .. .. .. 19,441 158,206 Scheme No. 4f .. .. .. 985 8,863 Scheme No. 13 .. .. 329,509 1,095,770 Scheme No. 16 .. .. .. 637 4,422 Scheme No. 16a .. .. 485 606 Insurance of workers .. .. 218 657 Transport of workers .. .. 831 1,042 Youths' farm settlement .. .. 384 345 Rural housing bonus .. .. 3,438 15,376 Assistance to flax industry .. .. 4,052 Miscellaneous .. .. .. 1,699 3,145 361,679 1,288,432 Administration expenses .. .. .. 12,500 97,162 £374,179 £1,385,594 It will be seen from the above statement that the expenditure under the employment promotion schemes during the year ended 31st March, 1942, was £1,288,432, as compared with £361,679 during the year under review, a reduction of £926,753. Notwithstanding this substantial reduction in expenditure as compared with the previous year, the amount provided in the estimates was overexpended to the extent of £111,679. When the estimates were prepared it was anticipated that the amount of £250,000 net would be sufficient to provide subsidized employment for the continually reducing numbers of men who could not be placed in unsubsidized employment, but, although every endeavour was made to transfer to unsubsidized employment every man who was physically capable of performing useful work, it was found to be impracticable, for the reasons mentioned above, to reduce the numbers of men employed under the schemes to such an extent as to enable the expenditure to be kept within the limits of the amount appropriated.

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