BOOT REPAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 181, 3 August 1933, Page 14

BOOT REPAIRS.

RELIEF WORKERS. COUNCIL REJECTS SCHEME. «AN ENDLESS CHAIN." On the grounds that it was wrong in principle and not in the best interests of the ratepayers as a whole,( the One Tree Hill - Borough Council decided last night to refuse assistance to a scheme for cheap boot repairs. The One Tree Hill Belief Workers' Association wrote requesting that the council assist them in a boot repairing scheme. It was suggested that a boot repairer, at present engaged on relief works, should be paid relief wages for his allocation of 2A days per week, but that instead of working on the roads he should be permitted to repair the boots of relief workers and their families. The man, the association added, would be responsible for leather and other materials and would recover the cost of same in his charges. "Next week we shall probably have an application to allow an out of work tailor to repair their clothes," commented the Mayor, Mr. I. J. Goldstine. "So the thing will go on —an endless chain." Meat Scheme Abused. The proposal, said Mr. Goldstine, appeared to be in the same category as the cheap meat scheme, which the council had previously refused to support. He had been told of an instance of a man buying 201b of meat for himself and his neighbours, although it had been stated by the Labour Department that no man would be allowed to buy more meat than he wanted for his own family. The instance quoted provided further proof of the abuse of the scheme. The Mayor said ho doubted whether the Labour Department would sanction the boot proposal, as a relief worker had to do relief work. Also, there was adequate provision in Auckland, in the form of the Metropolitan Belief Committee's depot, for the cheap repairing of footwear. Hair-cutting, Too.

Mr. W. G. Mulholland said that the council had refused to allow a man time off to deliver meat under the cheap meat scheme, and to be consistent it would have to refuse the present application. "I feel we shall never get rid of unemployment if they continue this policy," declared Mr. J. J. Boyce. He knew of three bootmakers who had been compelled to close down owing to the fact that their former customers were now taking their rephirs to the city depot. In one suburb a hair-cutting scheme on the same lines was in operation. The town clerk, Mr. A. Lecsc* mentioned that he had heard of four men, not relief workers, who had had their boots repaired at the city depot at a cost of about 1/ per pair. No questions had been asked. The council decided unanimously to decline the request.