MOUNT ROSKILL RELIEF WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 227, 25 September 1935, Page 21

MOUNT ROSKILL RELIEF WORK.

The news that the "Unemployment Board intends to place thousands of men at work at standard rates is indeed welcome. The Auckland City Council along with other local bodies throughout the couutrv has done much to alleviate the unemployment situation. Various schemes at a decent wage have helped not only hundreds of destitute families, but have also materially benefited the shopkeepers and merchants. The relief workers residing in the Mount Koskill district, however, arc very concerned as to their chances of getting off ISo. .> scheme. The Mount lioskill Road Board has always been willing to take as many men from the Labour Department as it could "ct. For the last four years all maintenance work, such as tarsealing roads, kerbing streets and securing scoria from the Three King pits, lias been done with relief labour at r.o. o scheme rates. The money derived from rates has been conserved at the expense of the unemployment funds. After piessure from the "men themselves and finally through the actions of the Hon. S. G. Smith, the road board was forced to cease using relief labour for jobs that were obviously maintenance work. Since then eight men only out of nearly two hundred have been placed on subsidy work of five days per week. In the opinion of all intelligent persons in the district this is only playing with the problem. At the recent annual general meeting of the Mount Roskill Road Board "the chairman stated that the affairs of the district were in a flourishin<r condition. Rates were being promptly paid, building permits were increasing monthly and fees from motor registration were also on the increase. Tho unemployed would like to know when the road board is going to apply for a loan with a subsidy to help them. Most of them arc ratepayers. The feeling amongst the men on No. 5 scheme and sustenance is that they will be hampered in getting real work because of their place of residence. No doubt rather than put up with the degradation of No. 5 scheme and sustenance many families will try and niovft to where councillors are more sympathetic. ANXIOUS.