NO OFFICIAL WORD

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 122, 25 May 1928, Page 10

NO OFFICIAL WORD

MAYOR WAITING REPLY THE'EXTEXT OF SUBSIDY The statements made at this morni'.iy's meeting of the unemployed were referred to the Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup), who said thathe was fully alive to the position a»d was thoroughly, sympathetic with those who could not lind employment. "But," he continued, "as Mayor'of the city r cannot ta'kc any action -'until' I have received definite word from the Government as to what it is willing to do. I cannot take statements as reported in the newspapers nor statements from Councillor M'Keeu. on a matter of this kind. Until the Government advises me officially of what it is prepared tr> do I cannot move." Mr. Troup recalled tb^£ last winter the Government had subsidised £ for £ all moneys contributed by citizens, and had subsidised loan moneys spent ou relief works, but in this latter instance the subsidy was & for ■& on labour costs only, and, furthermore, was based on rates of pay of 9s and 12s per day, so that in effect the subsidy was much less than an actual k, for & grant. following the fprmer meeting of unemployed .in the Concert Chamber, on which occasion it was stated that the Government would subsidise money spent on relief works, he had endeavoured to got in touch with the Prime Minister, but unfortunately lie was absent from Wellington. He had then communicated with him by letter ask-, ing whether the Government was prepared to subsidiso moneys spent on relief works to the extent of £ for £ on the full cost of the work, i.e., labour, plus, material, plant, etc. A reply had been received from Mr. Coatcs a couple of days ago to the effect that the. Government had not yet reached a decision on the point, and.that was.the 'position-., to-day. 'A "Post" reporter referred the matter to Mr. W. J. Rogers, Mayor oij Wanganui and president of the Municipal Association, who is in Wellington to-day on his way South to attendthe Diamond Jubilee celebrations at Christchurch. Mr. Rogers said that the question of ••£ for £• subsidy on the full cost of the work had been raised with the Prime Minister as from the Municipal Association, and this morning he had called upon Mr. Coates to ask what decision had been reached. He had ascertained that the matter was'still under consideration, but that the Prime Minister hoped that a definite statement could bo made in the course of a few days.