The Sustenance Allowance Rules, 1931
As a last resort, the government brought into place a large number of rules and regulations concerning sustenance payments for those who were unable to find relief work and this gave the people even more reason to despise the government. Under these rules, it was near impossible for men to receive such payments, especially if they did not want to work in rural areas away from home. Those who refused the work they were assigned would not be given any form of payment and so the men found themselves in situations where they had no choice but to accept whatever work was given to them, regardless of where it was or what the nature of the work was.
According to the "Disqualification for Sustenance" section, it was made clear that anyone who was unemployed for undertaking protest actions and striking would not be eligible for a sustenance payment, even it they were registered as unemployed. Similarly for anyone, who in the prior three months to becoming unemployed received income totally over 65 pounds. Other restrictions were for those who did not register as unemployed or hadn't paid their unemployment levy and those on other benefits.
There were major cuts in the sustenance payments from what was initially put forward with the Unemployment Act. Even so, the criteria which a person must meet to have a successful application was very long and had fine detailed requirements. Only the Unemployment Board was able to make the decision as to who actually qualified and such decisions required detailed enquiries into the situations of the applicants. The decision could be left pending for weeks or even months, adding to the frustration of those who had no other sources of income, and even more so, for those who were in the end, found to be unsuccessful. Postponing sustenance payments were a regularity for investigations which were inconclusive or for which needed further examination.
According to the "Disqualification for Sustenance" section, it was made clear that anyone who was unemployed for undertaking protest actions and striking would not be eligible for a sustenance payment, even it they were registered as unemployed. Similarly for anyone, who in the prior three months to becoming unemployed received income totally over 65 pounds. Other restrictions were for those who did not register as unemployed or hadn't paid their unemployment levy and those on other benefits.
There were major cuts in the sustenance payments from what was initially put forward with the Unemployment Act. Even so, the criteria which a person must meet to have a successful application was very long and had fine detailed requirements. Only the Unemployment Board was able to make the decision as to who actually qualified and such decisions required detailed enquiries into the situations of the applicants. The decision could be left pending for weeks or even months, adding to the frustration of those who had no other sources of income, and even more so, for those who were in the end, found to be unsuccessful. Postponing sustenance payments were a regularity for investigations which were inconclusive or for which needed further examination.
Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 14, 17 January 1931, Page 10