RELIEF WORKS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20612, 30 July 1932, Page 19

RELIEF WORKS.

DIVERSION OF RIVER HEATHCOTE. COMMITTEE CONFERS WITH DRAINAGE BOARD. To consider, with representatives of the Metropolitan Relief Works Committee and of the Labour Department, the question of providing additional work for tlie unemployed, a meeting of the Christchurch Drainage Board was held last night. The chairman of the Board, Mr S. C. Bingham, said that it was decided by one of the representatives that the, meeting should not be open to the Press as there were some figures that it was not desired should' be made public. Mr H. G. Livingstones in urging that the proceedings should bo in public, remarked that not only the unemployed but the public, generally were interested in the question of providing more work. It was decided that the meeting should go into committee when the iigures were being submitted-. The members of the, Board present were:—Messrs S. C. Bingham (chairman), It. G. Livingstone, ]£. IT. S. Hamilton, J. S, Barrett, and W. J. Walter. Also present were:—Messrs H. Kitson and A. If. Bridge, representing the Metropolitan Belief Works Committee; and Mr B. T. Bailey, officer-in-charge Labour Department. The Position Outlined. Mr Kitson said that the position was that the Relief Works Committee could not; get on to any work of any importance which was going to be of value to the community unless there was more cohesion amongst the local bodies in and around Christchurch. It was hard to get that cohesion because each local body resented any interference by any outside body: also there was a c<ytain amount of jealousy among tho local bodies as to the work to be undertaken. The, Relief Works Committee had brought forward schemes that involved a considerable amount of work, and also tho expenditure of u certain amount of money on material and tools. It was almost impossible to. tind work where 100 por cent, of tho money could be spent on labour. lie cited the scheme to deal with sand drift at New Brighton, and the proposals for a new road from Little River to Christchurch, as instances where it was difficult to get local bodies to combine The question was, he continued, whether it was any use for the Belief Works Committee to bring forward schemes and whether it was any use the committeo's technical committee going into these works if they were "not to be gone on with.

Subsidy for Material. That was the reason the committee had ?>ent out its circular on the subject. It did not seem possible to get any tsubsidy from the Unemployment Board for materials. It was almost impossible to produce work which was going to bo useful to everybody if there was no allowance at all for materials. The unemployment question should be looked at from the poiut of view of the interests ot' everybody. If it meant, in connexion witli any work undertaken, that it was going to give a little advantage to one body and not tp another, then he thought that they should forget it and give up any parochial feelings and join together and tackle tho question properly. The Relief Works Committee wanted to ascertain if the local bodies were prepared to face the master four-square and really try to do something. _ Mr Hamilton asked if the Belief Works Committee had any schemo that the Drainage Board could finance? The Board, he remarked, was more restricted than any other local body in respect of its expenditure. Straightening tlie Heatbcote. Mr Bridge-said one scheme that was mooted was the diversion of the river Heathcoto to cut out the big bend which started near the Woolston railway station and extended to Ferry road to the old tank stand, and took another curvo and eventually reached the Heatbcote bridge. It was contended that the work would prevent a lot Hooding and would be of immense value to a certain area in Woolston. There were three owners to deal with; two had been interviewed verbally, and the proposal had been explained to them, and, unofficially and without committing themselves too far, they had viewed tho proposal with favour. A good deal was involved in tho proposal. It would be necessary first to have an engineering survey made; there' was also the qucs- : tion of a road. The City Couitcil, tho 1 Heathcoto County Council, the Drainage Board, the Marine Department, and, j probably, the Lands and Survey Department Aserc involved. It was not a work that could be started- immediately; probably the preliminaries and final negotiations and legal points would take twelve months to complete. One question involved was the. resting of the new bed, and the disposal of the old bed of the river—whether the old bed would still have to be retained for subsidiary drainage purposes. Mr Bridge also explained the scheme for the deviation of tho river Avon below the Seaview Toad (New Brighton) bridge. Mr Kitson. referring to the Heathcoto river scheme, emphasised the importance of looking ahead in connexion with relief works, and said that worth while schemes would give the people the assurance that they wero getting something for their shilling in the pound. Mr Livingstone, referring to the question of subsidy on materials, said that personally he did not think that there was any chance of the Unemployment Board providing such a subsidy. Mr Kitson. referring to the river Heatlicote scheme, said that probably the City Council - would assist in the matter of the engineering survey. Mr Barnett expressed the opinion that probably the Government would be compelled to find moneys for materials. It was, he said, a wrong assumption that the Board would not be able to find the money for the subsidy. The engineer (Mr Jas. Cullens) said that he was not,' prepared to give an opinion off-hand on the scheme. At this stage the meeting went into committee. On resuming, the chairman said that the Board's engineer proposed to take on another 50 men, in addition to the 170 unemployed at present engaged by the Board on work at the sewage farm. Mr Kitson thanked the Board for having receivci] the representatives of the Relief Works Committee, and said that he was sure that it was a step forward and would give a lead to other local bodies. It. would also hearten Die Relief Works Committee to know that local bodies were prepared to hear them and sympathise with them. Tho chairman said that it had been quite a pleasure to receive them and to have a frank and free discussion. He was voicing the opinion of the members ot" the Board when he assured them that the Board was only too anxious to assist in relieving v the present position.

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