MINISTER HEARS PROPOSALS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22318, 4 February 1938, Page 9

MINISTER HEARS PROPOSALS

BOROUGH AND COUNTY DEPUTATIONS WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED AT WAIMATE Schemes for the absorption of unemployed labour in the district, especially during the winter months, were placed before the Minister for Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) by deputations from the Waimate Borough and County Councils during his visit to the district. The Minister expressed satisfaction at most of the schemes, and some of them, he thought, might be put into operation.

Mr John Bitchener, chairman of the County Council, and leader of the county's deputation, outlined its schemes. The first scheme was for the formation of a road over Dalgety pass linking Lake Tekapo with Hakataramea, and the Waitaki hydro works. The work was for national importance, Mr Bitchener said, and it would be of wonderful advantage to tourists. There would be no engineering difficulties, and the expense would be mainly the cost of labour. The Minister said that the scheme was a matter for the Public Works Department, and he would refer it to the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple). Tree-planting work was put forward by Mr Bitchener as ideal work for unemployed men. The council would make money available for the work, and the Minister's co-operation would be asked in supplying labour. In river protection work there was considerable outlay in materials and plant, and the labour cost was only a third. The council, Mr Bitchener said, was i t in a position to undertake any major scheme beyond the protection of roads and bridges. The No. 13A scheme, under which the council provided a foreman, materials, and transport, besides paying each of 15 men a subsidy and 10s a week, was outlined by Mr Bitchener. There was, he said, difficulty in providing work for the men near Waimate, and he asked the Minister if he was prepared to make an allowance for transport for distances of more than 20 miles, and an allowance for the cost of a camp for distances more than 40 miles. Work on the improvement of secondary highways, on which between £IO,OOO and £12,000 had been spent annually for the last six years, could be done, and details of the work could be shown to the Minister. "Suggestions Reasonable" Mr Armstrong said he was pleased to find the suggestions were reasonable. Referring to the council's request fof transport allowances, he said it would be a new principle, and the request could not be granted to one county and not to another. He approved of the tree planting, river protection, and road construction work as suitable for unemployed men, and said he would give the pronosals every .consideration. The main scheme suggested by the borough was that of building a road on Mount John and the hills to the west of Waimate. The Mayor (Mr George Dash) said that at present the public had no right of access to the hills. "It would be doing something worth while to give the people of this district access to those hills," he said. There was at present a paper road alon" the top of the hills, and this could be made to connect up with the roads already built on the Waimate side, and on the other side of the hills. It would be an asset to the district, and a tourist attraction. An attempt had been made, Mr Dash continued, to get 30 acres on the hills, and turn it, with unemployed labour, into a reserve. I There was, however, one obstacle, in I that the State Advances Corporation! had control of the area which was then leasehold. The idea, he said, had been very' keenly supported by residents in the district. The Minister referred to the scheme as "a very desirable job," and said that he would! discuss the matter with the Minister for Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone) and others concerned. A footpath could be made on the hill.first, he said, and it could be widened into a road later.

Several other schemes, which Mr Dash said would be of benefit to the whole community, .were advanced by the County Clerk (Mr B. S. Runciman). They included kerbing. channelling, street improvement, and drainage extension work. When he had heard several smaller deputations, the Minister was shown work in the borough which had been done by unemployed labour. After the inspection he expressed satisfaction at the work he had seen. WAIMATE HOSPITAL "A VERY BUSY MONTH" The Waimate Hospital has had a very busy month, and the work has been made more difficult through the difficulty in obtaining staff nurses. This was reported by the superintendent of the hospital (Dr. A. G. Pitts) to a meeting of the Waimate Hospital Committee yesterday. A total of 41 male and 59 female patients had been treated at the hospital, the report continued, and of these 19 males and 22 females were still being treated. The average number of beds occupied during the month was 47.3, and over a period of 10 months the average was 43.4

The superintendent's report was adopted. The statement of receipts and expenditure for the period of 10 months ended January 31 showed a credit balance of £386. The house committee reported that all the root crops had been hoed and thinned. The grass hay had been stacked and the oaten hay would be stacked when the weather permitted. Extra labour had been employed in the thinning and stacking work. The committee's report was adopted. WAIMATE WEATHER A total of 3.03 inches of rain fell in Waimate on 10 days, and there was a total of 142.7 hours' of sunshine during January, according to figures supplied yesterday by the meteorological observer at Waimate (Mr J. Allen). The highest dry-bulb reading was 73 degrees on January 7, and the lowest was 44 degrees on January 23. The highest maximum thermometer reading was 84 degrees on January 13. The sky was overcast on 13 days and clear on seven. The main winds during the month were north-easterlies, north-westerlies, and northerlies. A north-easterly wind blew on seven days.

WORK ON WAIMATE STREETS

For several years the Waimate Borough Council has worked on a scheme of top-dressing with tar and fine gravel several of the streets in the borough during the summer months. The work has proceeded satisfactorily this season and workmen are now engaged in Manse street. The Town Clerk (Mr B. S. Runciman) said yesterday that it was expected the work would be completed by the end of this week.