More work projects

Press, 12 July 1979, Page 4

More work projects

Development of the Christchurch urban marae i could be a project “tailor- i made” for a special work ; project to reduce unemploy- j meat, the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H. G. Hay) told < a meeting of local-body lead- ’ ers yesterday. 1 Local bodies still face ’ problems of supervision and i materials costs if they are < expected to add large num- i bers to their present tempor- : ar, employment programme s labour forces. Mr Hay said the most I significant opportunities for i more jobs were probably i through local authorities, ; but it would be a question < of creating useful jobs wi- i thin Government guidelines. ; More Government help towards materials costs associ- , ated with jobs would be bet- ; ter than “paying out unem- i ploymen t benefits with no < direct return to the tax- j payer.” Mr Hay said. < “We seem in New Zealand to have a cutting-back philo- | sophy all the time,” he said, > while some other countries | actively encouraged job pro- ( grammes to stimulate the ( economy.

In its “socalled partnership” with local government, the Government should play a greater role in providing jobs. The Labour Department’s district superintendent (Mr W. T. Holland) said that the latest unemployment figures

were still to be announced officially, but they would show that a substantial number of the jobless were still under 21 years and unskilled. A large number in the dis-

trict was working for Government department jobcreation programmes, with about the same number equally divided between community organisations and local bodies. “If we can have specific projects, we can put them up and see if we can change the guidelines,” Mr Holland said. “They might be included if we can build up a case.” He said there was “a faint hope” that certain small projects already subsidised b the National Roads Board could also take on subsidised workers.

Other big projects suggested by the director of the Christchurch Technical Institute (Mr J. D. A. Hercus), were the development of Hansen and Walter parks. Woolston Cut work, drainage jobs, treeplanting, city centre redevelopment, building of cycleways, dune protection, and the creation of pilot recycling and energy farming projects. “In spite of the programmes we have, the unemployment pool has not significantly been reduced,”!

Mr Hercus said. “I am not talking of rebuilding the Pyramids, or gangs of coolies, or some other demeaning task.”

The City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular) said it was important not to tag certain jobs as undignified. Any necessary job should instill pride when it was well done. For example, channel sweeping was an important function in a flat city with drainage problems.