Only Two Get The Dole

(By Tony Jaques)

Only two New Zealand students benefitted from the new "Emergency Unemployment Benefit" over the [unclear: on].

There were approximately [unclear: applications] for the bene-[unclear: fit] 269 of these either employment or failed to requests for further [unclear: information] said the secretary [unclear: the] Minister of Social [unclear: security].

The 81 cases left, from all New Zealand were sub-[unclear: mitted] to a central Social [unclear: security] Commission in Wel[unclear: lington] comprising the per- [unclear: rmanent] head of the Social [unclear: Secur]ity Department, Mr G. [unclear: Brocklehurst] assisted by [unclear: Department's] second and ranking officers, Mr I. Sally and Mr C. A. Oram. The most important factor in consideration was financial hardship.

The secretary to the Minister of Social Security said "I emphatically deny that decisions were in any way arbitary."

The concept of financial hardship was not defined on any official statistical or financial basis.

Asked if he thought that only two successful submissions out of 81 indicated that the commission was excessively harsh he declined to reply.

It appears, however, that jobs were available to students willing to take cuts in earnings.