Big injection of funds into ‘disaster area’

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 1

Big injection of funds into ‘disaster area’

The Christchurch City Council hopes to have between SI2M and SI3M worth of public work out to tender within six months, in an effort to cut down on local unemployment.

But a city councillor, Mrs Mollie Clark, thinks that this is not enough, and castigated the Government yesterday for its failure to help, saying that Christchurch could be classified as a disaster area. The construction projects include a new central city library, an airport international arrivals building, conversion of the Miller’s building into council offices, urban renewal housing and a Municipal Electricity Department building in Packe Street, St Albans. "We seem to be losing out on every count,” Mrs Clark said. “It should be put to the Government that Christchurch qualifies for special assistance. It could be classified as a disaster area.” Cr Clark said that North

Canterbury should qualify for regional development assistance, but it would take time to set up a Regional Development Council and immediate

help was needed. Cr Clark said that the Labour Department was patting the council on the back for doing its part in providing temporary employment, but discouraging the establishment of community-run industries because creating the jobs would be too expensive and risky. Cr M. R. Carter urged the Government to allow an immediate call for airport project tenders “because of the desperate unemployment situation.” But Cr P. J. R. Skellerup said the council should not be too pessimistic about the economic downturn. He believes that things were already getting better in Auckland, and it usually took time for such benefits to “flow down the country.” “I think the situation may start to right itself by the end of the year,” he said.

P.M.’s comment on localbodies finance. Page 6.