CITY RELIEF WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 139, 14 June 1932, Page 5

CITY RELIEF WORK.

ABSORBING MARRIED MEW. HEAVY SUPERVISION COSTS. STRAIN ON LOCAL BODIES. Tho possibility of finding work for married men in other than country occupations was the subject of discussion with the Mayor, Sir. G. W. Hutchison, this morning, by a deputation from Auckland Labour members of Parliament.. Tho proceedings were private. It was subsequently stated that the members inquired whether work was available sufficient to empioy all married men and single men who were exempted from camp, thus avoiding the necessity of compelling them to go to camps or to become dependent upon charitable relief. The members represented th°.t the sending of married men to camps would have a very detrimental cfFeci ou city services, such as transport, and on general business, as affecting landlords, shopkeepers and tradespeople generally, with a consequent increase in unemployment. The Mayor said he had previously expressed the view that, for the reasons stated by the members, it was desirable that every avenue of employment to keep the married men in the city slionld be explored. In anticipation of the deputation he had made inquiries and had been informed that in the Mount Eden and Mount Albert boroughs no work was available. In the city a further 200 to 300 men could be employed on works which were at present going on. At present the City Council employing 200 more men than had V>f»n provided for in the council's estimates for supervision. The supervision included materials,, tools, transport .ind insurance. Last year supervision under No. 5 Scheme accounted for 20 per c°nt of the labour supplied bv the Unemployment Board. His opinion was that work of a permanent nature could be found to absorb considerably more men if the local bodies were relieved of the cost of supervision. He added that if the money for which loan authorisation had already been obtained could be raised, a lar;re number of additional men could be employed by the city, and others that the council feared it might have to put < .tf shortly could be retained.