The item also contains a report from September 1935 in which relief work rates and conditions in Canberra are compared with those in the States.

It includes, for example, information on the expenditure of Commonwealth funds for public works in Tasmania, including roads, water supplies, flood protection, railway deviations and an aerodrome, and the development of tourist roads and resorts.

It also contains extensive correspondence from State premiers proposing public works schemes to relieve unemployment and requesting the allocation of funds by the Commonwealth.

The item illustrates the change in the way relief was distributed to the unemployed. For example, in the FCT the practice of granting food rations as sustenance for the unemployed was altered to supplying cash payments of equivalent value to the rations.

It also contains statistical information about spending on unemployment relief and the population of the FCT dependent on it. The item also deals with the provision of food rations in special cases, the funding of work in lieu of rations for itinerants, the subsidising of the Canberra Relief Society for the supply of firewood to unemployed camps, and the provision of railway fares to destitute persons.

This item also contains a report from the Northern Territory Administration which provided details of expenditure on unemployment relief. For the financial year ending 1934–35, approximately £3 678 was spent on unemployment relief; 13 relief workers were registered; and 69 people were being issued with rations. By October 1935 , the number of registered relief workers had increased to 15 while sustenance rations were being issued to 64 men and their 14 dependants.

…where any men are employed on relief works of short duration (10 days or less), they are entitled to be re-employed immediately in their previous relief employment without any further loss of time. Where, however, the duration of the employment is more than 10 working days, they are required to comply with the regulations governing the emergency relief work scheme, which state that applicants must be unemployed for at least two weeks before becoming eligible for employment under the Scheme.

The Commonwealth offered to fund the plan on a pound-for-pound basis with the States, but stipulated that 20% of the money had to be used to employ men under 21 years of age. This presented a problem to the Premier of Western Australia who informed the Prime Minister that his State, due to the efforts of the Boys Employment League of Perth (a Government-subsidised employment agency) had a limited number of men between 17 and 21 available for part-time employment in the forestry industry.

This assertion led to some conflict between the WA Government and the Boys Employment League, because, as the secretary of the league pointed out to the Commonwealth Government, the reason the league could not get enough boys to go to the country was that it had been:

…so extremely parsimoniously treated that it could not afford to give boys fares nor could it provide for meals in trains, no clothing for indigents nor other ameliorations; consequently it is estimated that between 1500 and 1750 unemployed boys exist in the metropolitan area who would be placed were these ameliorations available.

The item also indicates that the afforestation program was reduced from three years to one year. The Commonwealth was to contribute £50 000 to New South Wales, £100 000 to Western Australia, £25 000 to Tasmania, £100 000 to Victoria, £30 000 to Queensland, £17 000 to South Australia, and £9 000 to the Federal Capital Territory. The States were to meet the Commonwealth contribution pound-for-pound, except for Tasmania which would contribute £5 000 and South Australia which was unable to contribute.

The item also provides an insight into the living and working conditions experienced by the young men sent to the forestry camps. Reports received from the States indicated that more than 5 000 men were employed on forestry projects, which would create an asset of vital importance to the nation.

It contains a study published by the International Labour Organization in January 1935 which reveals that generally the results hoped for from public works projects had not been achieved. The study identified a lack of coordination between the plethora of ‘responsible’ authorities as the principal reason for this failure.

I desire to inform you that this Government continues to receive representations form local residents and bodies that the Hydro-Electric development of the Snowy River should be proceeded with.

The item also contains numerous letters from progress associations and town councils in New South Wales to their Federal members of Parliament and passed to the Prime Minister’s Department. These letters all ask for expenditure of Commonwealth funds on local facilities, under the Loan Appropriation (Unemployment Relief) Act 1935. The Prime Minister’s Department invariably responded that such requests should be directed to the NSW Government.

The item also holds a letter from Major Longfield Lloyd of the Commonwealth Investigation Branch addressed to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Employment, which was written in response to a request for information about the apparently successful adoption in Italy of a shorter working week to alleviate unemployment. Longfield Lloyd referred to an October 1934 speech by Mussolini, and placed a copy of ‘News Notes on Fascist Corporations’ (Rome, August-September 1934) on the file.

It contains, for example, an article from the Sydney Morning Herald of 4 February 1935 entitled ‘Public Works and Recovery’, in which Dr E Ronald Walker is quoted as advocating public works in times of economic depression. In the article Dr Walker stressed the need to be selective about the type of public works undertaken to avoid competition with private enterprise.

Matters dealt with include administrative, finance and tender and quotation procedures; contract conditions; material specifications; instructions on the engagement of consultants; fire protection policy and standards; standard specifications and requirements of State and Commonwealth instrumentalities; and project files on various construction projects (including War Service Homes).

Details of parent files are provided at the foot of the entries for each paper.

According to Mr Whiteford, who prepared the report, the organisations generally believed that the unemployment situation was improving, although some exceptions to that were noted (specifically the number and training of males over the age of 18 years).