HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 53, 26 November 1930, Page 6

HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Items of Interest From AH Sources

TRAIN FARES Cost of Workers’ Tickets PROTEST FROM MOERA A largely attended meeting in the Moera Public Hall last evening called by ■ the Moera branch of the Labour Party and addressed by Mr. Walter Nash, M.P., afterward carried unanimously . a resolution emphatically protesting against the increased train fares so far as such increases affected the workers’ 'tickets. The chairman, Mr. Sergant, said the meeting had been called to protest against the increased train fares, more especially the increases in the workers tickets. The increases Were tantamount to a reduction in wages. •‘Grossly Unfair.” “The increase In the train fares insofar as they applied to the workers’ tickets is unjustifiable and grossly unfair,” said Mr. Nash. “The total amount throughout the whole of the Dominion the Government expects to get from, the increased fares is £117,000, or 6 per cent, on last' vear’s total revenue of over £2,000,000. Taking the workers proportion of the increase, the Government expects to get £22,000 from workers tickets. This increase, on a total amount of £52,000, the value of the tickets issued last year, means an increase of 42 per cent. ■To obtain this result the Government has hit upon the plan of increasing tlie fares by .1/- a week. This increase affects the Hutt Valley more than other parts of New Zealand;’ “Last year 422,000 workers’ tickets wore issued in the Dominion, and 127;361 wci‘e issued in the Hutt Valley. Of the £22,060 increase the Government hopes to get from increased workers’ tickets, the Hutt Valley is expected to contribute £6340. “The Hutt Valley during the last five years has extended out of all proportion. Those who came out here from Wellington did so because they were . getting better homes, and were also definitely and specifically told they could get weekly tickets for 2/6. The increase from 2/6 to 3/6 is, I repeat, grossly unfair, and unjust. Factors to Consider. • The following factors should have been taken into consideration before the Government decided on increasing the fares, said Mr. Nash. (1) The railway had added to the value of the land; (2) the added value automatically came to the Railway Department; (3) it should be taken into account when considering the capital charges of the line;’ (4) the people were told that their weekly tickets would be only 2/6; they were told last year that the one suburban line that paid, and paid well, was the Hutt line. At the conclusion of Mr. Nash’s address, the following resolution was carried unanimously:— “This representative meeting of workers of the Hutt Valley hereby enter an emphatic protest against the large increase of 42 per cent, in the workers’ railway tickets. We consider this increase to be extortionate and, unjustified, (especially in view of the fact that the Government cleared bv wav of land sales in the Valley the magnificent hum of £148,795., The railway enhanced the value Of these lands, and we who are occupying them are being made to pay for the railway also. Had this Hugo sum created In the Walley been employed In the paying off of the capital charges of the railway construction there would have been no occasion to increase the fares.” . Upper Hutt Opposes Increases Opposition to the proposed increase in the cost of workers’ tickets on trains was, forthcoming at the Inst meeting of the Upper Hutt Borough Council. In the opinion of Councillor C. L. A. Spearman, the tares to Upper Hutt had been raised to au exorbitant figure. Alio increase on a mileage basis was a wrong principle, for Upper Hutt was as much a suburb of Wellington as Lower Hutt ’‘’councillor J. O. Duff considered that while 240 miles of travelling a week, given by thfe workers’ ticket was done at a cheap rate, even when the fare was raised, the increase ought not to have E. W. Cottle opposed the Councillor G. H. Guthrie considered the increases were l£>pg overdue. IJe tboug;ht the fare between Wellington and Upper Hutt could not be far removed from being the cheapest in the world. Councillor Spearman advocated the same principle of charging as pertained on the Wellington tramways where people living in Seatoun and Newtown (to take exaniples) could get to the centre of the city for th? same fare. Hie Hutt Valley was a railway valley, and should have the same charges. ■ The mayor, Mr. P. Robertson, agreed that people had been induced to leave the citv by cheap fares being held out to them. Now the Government was increasing those fares. „ ... Some of the trouble, m Councillor Guthrie’s opinion, was caused by families travelling on the buses, while Y Ol /l e A? were being carried on the trams at cheap 1 The ■. council decided to write to the general manager of railways pointing out the inequity of. the rise in workers fares.

HUTT UNEMPLOYED Scheme to Achieve Relief COMMITTEE’S REPORT A conference was recently convened by Mr. Walter Nash, M-P-, of the Mayors of Lower Hutt, Petone, Eastbourne, and the chairman of the Hutt County, to consider the extent, effect of, and suggestions to remedy unemployment in those boroughs, together with that portion of the Hutt County in the Hutt Valley. Mr. Nash proposed that the members mentioned should form themselves into a central committee to meet regularly to consider reports on the number registered as unemployed in those districts, and to determine what works could be undertaken to give employment. At bls suggestion also local committees are being set up in the various boroughs to consider cases of distress through unemployment, and other causes, to give advice re employment, and recommend concerning the assistance available through Government facilities or the Hospital Board, The conference approved the setting up of special local committees by the citizens of each borough for the purpose, when necessary, of organising collections, entertainments, and other means for the raising of funds for the relief of special cases of distress and hardship not Otherwise provided for. Tile funds so raised are to be controlled and allocated by a small subcommittee in each borough, consisting of the Mayor, one representative of .the local committee, and one representative from the special aid committee. A suggestion that an Officer of the Labour Department bo delegated to work in the Hutt Valley to see to the effective registration of unemployed Was not favourably entertained by the Government, the Minister of Labour contending that the work ought to be done by some retired gentleman in the district who had the time to attend to .the Work. Mr. Nash also recommended that the Hospital Board bo asked to arrange for a Social Welfare Visitor to work in the several boroughs, and to co-op Crate with the local committee and the central committee. Central Committee Meeting The central committee held a meeting yesterdav, when there were present: Mr. Walter Nash, M.P., Sir Alexander Roberts (Mayor’of Lower Hutt), Mr. D. McKenzie (Mayor of Petone), Mr. H. M. Jones (Mayor of Eastbourne), and Mr. D. It. Hoggard, (chairman of the Hutt County Council). . . , Sir Alexander Roberts reported that the Lower Hutt Borough Council had already found work for 169 married men, but that there were still 105 married men in the borough unemployed for whom no' work had been found, in addition to which the council had 60 single men registered as unemployed. • It was stated by Mr. D. McKenzie (Mayor' of Petone) that there were 243 men (married and single) registered as unemployed iff the. borough. Work had been found for 20 men on the Koro Koro Road-widening work, leaving 223 men still unprovided for. Arrangements had b.een made in the borough of Eastbourne, said the Mayor (Mr. H. W. Jones) for work for all unemployed married men who were also residents 'of the borough. The chairman of the Hutt County Council (Mr. D. R. Hoggard) said there were only one or two unemployed men in the Hutt County,:and he was taking steps to find some work for thein. It was also reported to the meeting by Sir Alexander Roberts that a special committee had been set up in the Lower Hutt Borough to assist the Central Committee in cases of distress and unemployment. Mr. McKenzie reported that a similar committee had been set up in Petone. Mr. Nash said ho would be. interviewing the Government during the present week to see if any further steps could be taken in connection with the proposed work in remedying the AWamutu stream difficulty. The meeting between the committee apd the Hospital Board representatives would- be held during the present week to see how far it was possible for the two bodies to co-operate in connection with the relief of distress and general social welfare work.