PROGRESS LEAGUE

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20273, 26 June 1931, Page 13

PROGRESS LEAGUE

REVIEW OF YEAR'S WORK. ' I ' DIFFICULTIES FACED. The difficulties faced by the community in tne course? of the past year and the work of the Canterbury Progress League toward either solving or minimising them are reviewed in thei annual report of the League, which is to be presented at the annual meeting on July Ist. The balance-sheet for the jfoar shows cash iii the bank and in hand as £587 8s 2d. Expenditure exceeded income by £ 42 5s sd. The League had. joined with other organisations in protesting t the Government that restoration of earthquake damage on West Coast roads should be a national concern, but the appeal had been unsuccessful, states the report. The efforts to have bridges constructed over the Upper Ashley and Whistler rivers had been without result, owing to the unwillingness of the Government to augment the normal Highways Board subsidy and to the inability of the counties concerned to accept responsibility. Becently the League had been endeavouring to bring about a comprehensive roading scheme to be financed partially by Unemployment Board's subsidies and 'used for providing useful and productive \vork for unemployed men. Negotiations were proceeding, and the Highways and Unemployment Boards had conferred on the subject. Power and Unemployment/ In connexion with the power shortage the League had been active in calling the original conference at which the position had been" gone .into. The League had taken a prominent part in urging upon the Government to provide a stand-by plant, and, with the cooperation of other interests, had been successful in having the Dies6l station at Lyttelton put in hand. To assist in dealing with unemployment problems the secretary of the League had been placed at the disposal of the local Unemployment Committee, while the Unemployment Research Committee Ind also been set up. Schemes set in motion were those concerning

Lake Ellesmere, irrigation in Canterbury, and tree-planting. Other proposals supported concerned secondary industries and revision of the methods of land valuation. The Boys' and • Girls' Agricultural Clubs had continued to be successful in every way, and 776 entries had been received for, the'competitions in and mangel growing. Reference is made in the report to the death of the. president of the League, Mr .T. A. Flesher, -and the resignation of the vice-president, Mr William Goss. '