RELIEF CAMP WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 165, 14 July 1932, Page 8

RELIEF CAMP WORK.

EFFECTS IN THE CITY. " BREAKING UP HCSIES." TAKAPUNA' COUNCIL PROTEST. "The Government is turning relief camps into slave camps, and breaking up the homes of decent married men and robbing this borough of its best relief workers," said Mr. John Guiniven, Mayor of Takapiina, at last night's ! meeting of the Borough Council. i The Mayor said he understood that I the Labour Department intended thinning out groups of relief workers in the _ borough. He suggested that the council should protest to the Government and urge an increase in the allocation for relief work. ; "Yesterday an official of the Labour' Department lined up a number of our married relief men Who arc working two ' and a half days per week and asked 1 them if they were prepared to go to camps near Waitomo," said Mr. Guiniven, "I am told that the official asked some rather blunt questions of the men, such as 'Are you living with your wife?' I think a man like that should be reported. Now, it is unreasonable for the Government to get our best relief men to leave their wives and families and pay their 1 own fare to these slave camps and work a 44-hour | week for IOJd per hour. That is the I pay. Such a thing is only breaking up the homes. Surely, after paying the heavy taxation wo are made to pay, we should have a say in the matter, and be allowed to keep our best workers. The money should not all be spent in the country districts for the benefit of the farmers —or rather the men who have got the mortgages over the farms. The Government is taking most of the petrol tax and spending it in country districts. It is time we protested and asked for a larger allocation for relief work." "Striking at the Root." Mr. Gibson: The whole thing is a crying shame on the part of the Government, -and I am pleased that your Worship has taken the matter up. "It is modern feudalism," said the Mayor. "It is absolutely vile and worse than feudalism," said Mr. Titchener. "To-day, because these unfortunate men are out of a job, they are asked to go to the country camps and stay there. Our nation is founded on home life and this latest move on the part of the Government is only striking at the root of national life." "Even the Farmers' Union has complained to the, Government,'' said the Mayor. It was unanimously resolved to forward a strong protest to the Govern--ment and to press for an increase in the allocation.