CITY RELIEF JOBS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 286, 29 August 1931, Page 6

CITY RELIEF JOBS

Loan Saves Situation THREE MONTHS’ WORK Ratepayers’ Burden But for the approval by the Local Government Loans Board of the City Council’s £lO,OOO relief works loan, a good many of the relief wqrjis would have been held up after, this week for want of funds. These will now continue, and some of the new jobs scheduled about a fortnight ago in the way of street works, footpath formation, tree planting, formation, and improvement of reserves will be proceeded with. The latter 1 include work at the Otari open-air museum, the airport, and the golf links. The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, yesterday said that the £lO,OOO was for supervision and insurance of men engaged under the No, 5 scheme, the number of men t)eing about 2100. The City Council would also supply materials, but the labour cost, amounting to £60,000 or £70,000; would be paid by the Government The approval of the loan therefore meant that the City ’ Council would be able to proceed with relief works for about another three months, arid possibly four. . “It Is hoped that In the Interval some schemes other than those now In operation will be evolved by the Government and the new Unemployment : Board, which will have the effect of removing this.burden from the ratepayers," said the Mayor. "It should be spread over the whole community, for 1 it is clear that the ratepayers cannot continue to carry bn the ever-increasing burden of unemployment now prevailing. Possibly during the summer months the position may be eased by some of the men getting back Into regular employment.” . •

TUNNEL COMPLETION Immediate Start on Work READY, IN FEW MONTHS “Now that the loan for the completion of the Mount Victoria tunnel has received. the .Approval of the JLocal Government Loans Board it is intended that the work shall proceed immediately,” said the Mayor, yesterday. “The tunnel should- be open for traffic in three or four months, at any rate, . before the summer is over." The .work will be , carried out ,by the city engineer’s department, and will employ the regular staff of corporation workmen, arid possibly some of the old employees whose services were dispensed with owing to the financial position. The flooring of the tunnel will be of sufficient thickness to carry trains if and when it is decided to run them through, and provision will he made so that the rails can be laid down with little trouble. A special order will have to be obtained before rails can be laid, and a certificate from the Public Works Department before the tunnel can be used for traffic purposes.