RELIEF WORKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 602, 2 September 1909, Page 6

RELIEF WORKS.

NEARINGTHE END. - ; AN .-INTERESTING- REVIEW. ; ■'.. ■■-.; v''/: £2950 SPENT.,- ;■: . Jn view of .the : approaching cessation of the relief works .carried*.out by. the Citizens' Unemployment .''(Jommittee-^a ',". ces-ation which is held to; be; justified by. the' brightening' of t|i« economic', outlook—the*' secretary of tlie 'comniitteo (?tr. George -Willis) 'gave" a Dominion reporter an interesting statement .of.; tho; financial ; position, of the fund, -.with a review of : the work , done; -.and the * present 'state -of each i of: tho undertakings.';';,; i-.' , '-'*: - -"- , ■/ .. •■•'■'■■ .;' ■■ ■;■;. ' ;,:

' ; "The total'amount received lip to" date,'" said' Mr: ..Willis, .','is,about £2000. This' ismade up. of £1800 .subscribed by the public >nd. ; raiscd .in .various .way 3, and £200* re from' the City. Council by ,way of-.siib-eidy.By the end of this week the committee* .■will- have/spent £2000, including the committee's graut of £100 to the Victoria Coliloge Council towards.tho orection of the new f-'.'ns. ■; which, work has not yet been- comIt' will thus "Ke seen' that :mqf e money is' ! urgently- needed to enable :' tho* works to bo proceeded with. ..The' committee estimates that about £300 more is certain to reach it shortly. This is made up of £100 from the City Council for the Anderson Park improvement, and . £200 on subscription lists that have bean issued, and-as: proceeds of several -.entertainments that have- been held • "The £2000.which is-nearly spent, the £300 still to come inland the £650 received from tho Government as subsidy on the Victoria College improvements make a total :of . £2950. and this. may bo ,set down as the total cost of the relief works when completed. .Out-of this, sura, L about, £350 has been, or. will,, be, spent on. matqriil, tools, plant,- cartage, etc:, leaving £2600. actually -distributed, among the unemployed of the city aswages in return for , work done during the ten. weeks which, will : in all probability constitute the committee's poriod of operations; "Work ha 3 been found for nearly. 700 men. Some of these, ■ after being employed • for ono ■week by the committee, have found work elsewhere, while others, less fortunate, have been kept on the works for : two to four ■weeks. All the jobs havo been, manned on the week-about -system, and the wages have been Is. an hour. . - ' . *■'. <. ■ ■ ; : ;Tho Various Works.' : '\ ' ". ."The Wadostown Road' work, which was completed to-day, cost just £399 Bs. 6d. Tho •money, available was £400,.'.. and'the work, •which; was planned out to be, done has been, completed. Tho job was carried out under the supervision of Mr. J. 'Kerslake, of the corporation stall, with Mr. W. Jiidd as fore-' num. It: is believed by tho officials that the tvork could have been done very 'little, if any, cheaper, had only experienced navvies been-employed. : -"..- * ; . "Tho gang on the Mount Victoria'track has' been reduced, only tho foreman and eight men .beingijleft there, and-it is expected.that they iwill , finish the job-by Monday or Tuesday iiext; The money ispent on this work will not quito reach the amount .of the , original ./-grant, • but •*. tho ■- ■■committee will transfer wtat is left .over to. the'Andereon: Park, improvement, where it:can be sp utilised ' as-, : t<n'employ ;a greater/number of "workers. ;.-." ■•'■.■ •■/-■.'■.• ... ■>. ;..."•,■■.<■■/:.*,:;, ••. ■'■~ . , - '''lte.-:''e'xcavating!:.at:.-yic^'ia'., ' Ci6Deße is practically-finished,''and only ; about"' 20 v men 'Willi how be'employed upon it, the .number having .been: reduced from."4o to-day. cßiis ; work will alsoVrun'out next week. ~;■ ', -.-

"A start' will-lie made' to-morrow' (Th'ure.'day) on the foundations of the new wing of thercoUegb. ; This,work : will employ--nl; few bncklayers. Cafpeiiter's. are also -/oomrneiicing work in 'conne'otidn'"' with, the compjetion fitting-up of,the:new, c gymna«iuni,' which is_ to : -be -paid'for from the Icommitfcee.iand subscriptions' collected : afesh| the vh,^J l s -.;,,,'..".:•.".■.. ..'. -. i', ■ - "The ton:, men who are tree-planting' at Kelburnft;.Park.:.will finish that,-,'work about the end;of,thei\veek,.and they" will the ; n bo transforrech pS: tho,'zig-zag ;at the "end of 'CoromandeLStreet; where they will bo'similarly employed ;a-week 6'rHw'o-longer. '■■'s■■ ,'■ p ; "The:;Andersph.-Park. work -is- : still.carrying tno full gang of 35 men, and-is .costing »bout i .£lpp.-a.-iveok.. i ,;lt. is., apparent (from : what I have said already'that this'cannot go ..on much longer. The work may-last three w'eeks'.froin. ; now,,,iLt'ho,gang. is».reduced. . No More Single Men.. : . "Single-men cannot ..any. longer • be. given ernployment by the committee 'owing to .the laqk; of funds, :: but,we have, reason to-be-" JioYe. that there.ia now other.'employment to be:had,if they,: will look fpr-it.ilt is-prac-tically certain thai; all the'relief .wor!iß.*ill .have': stopped-in'three weeks .^f .'!ushould like to add 'that'loafing on'the wrks has .been;strictly. that after consulting -with ■ the offioials .■'.; I beljeve : that: tlMi,.work'done is. at least .80 percent, of, the amount that would have been ;acoom-pjished.'if-fhe. same .money-, had' been idevoted to carrying "out ,the same enterprises 0f. , , experienced workmen .'under . ordinary:conditions." ■'•■' .- '...'.", •'■ ■<'■'■ j. .;

:- ,:, -:;v.>''' Donations Acknowledged; ■'* : . ; : The secretary acknowledged ..the .following additional donations to tho Citizens' TJnem-' ploymenf Fund'.—Per Miss Vare/ proceeds .of.:entertainment,- £7 -Ss.- 6d.j from ; Otaki* £2: .per ThjS Dominion, £1.-. ,Th o collections in boxes -in tho hotels, during : the last';' six weeks, have also; been, receivedby* the'secretory ,_. the jamqunt.being about .'£lo. ■.'■■.' '-'■