The New Relief Scales The regulations which have been prepared
by the Unemployment Assistance Board for the guidance of local offices lay down uniform principles which are to govern the administration of relief ; but though the principles are uniform, they allow for elasticity in appli- cation. The means test, of course, remains—and with it assessment of means according to the total resources of the household ; but the sense of grievance against this method of assessment will be diminished by the more generous terms offered to earners in a household. The allowances for children, which were justly criticized in Parliament and outside, are to be increased on a sliding scale. A provisional assessment for a householder and his wife will be 24s., and for an only child not less than 4s. ; and it will assume a rent of 7s. 6d. a week. But the allowance for a child over 11 'will be more, and the total may be increased or diminished if the rent is considerably more than, or less than, the basic figure. This provisional assessment will then be modified accord- ing to means, certain incomings being ignored altogether, or taken into account in accordance with principles undoubtedly more generous than thOse which have often been applied by Public Assistance Committees. • * * *
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