CITY FATHERS ABUSED

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 124, 28 May 1928, Page 10

CITY FATHERS ABUSED

NOT REALLY TO BLAME THE STATE SUBSIDY Statements made by speakers at the Labour meetings held in tho city indicate that in the minds of the speakers tho City Council in some way is equally responsible with tho Government for the unemployment in tho city, and much abuse is levelled at tho City Fathers. "That is hardly the position,-" said the chairman of the Works Committee, Councillor H. D. Bennett, when the subject, was mentioned to him to-day. Unompioyment in any country, ho ; said, was a national matter, and for' that reason was an evil for the Gonorai Government to remedy, and not for a municipal ratepayer. Widespread as unemployment had been during the last year or two, there was, thought Councillor Bennett, good reason for tho ! Government to appeal to the lai'gcr local bodies to assist the General Gov-. ernmeut.' So far as Wellington w^js concerned, such a general policy of combined action had been adopted (luring the past year or two. The individual ratepayer was nevertheless somewhat apnrehensivo of tho remedy becoming a bad habit, andy in Councillor Bennett's opinion, was justified in exhorting caution! So far as he;was,concerned, and ho thought that he • could interpret _ the minds of councillors in the same direction,- tho Corporation could assist to a more generous extent if tho Government was more generous in regard to the subsidy. So far the Govornmont had merely offered to subsidise ou a basis of 9s and 12s a day wages, and on labour costs only. As tho council, rightly or wrongly, has declined to pay as low as 9s, this means roughly only a third of the total. The Works Committee is ready to submit to the Mayor and council a schedule of works suitable as relief works right in the city. The council is prepared to raise its share of a substantial amount, and ia only waiting for the Government to agree to subsidise on a £ for £ basis. Immediate employment could bo given to a large number of unemployed who are .resident here, as soon as. Mr. Coatea approved the subsidy. Mr. Bennett concluded by saying that ho thought the full subsidy should bo paid if anything like a fair return was to be expected for the city's portion of tho pay. None of the- works contemplated came within tho schedule of ■works duo to be carried out under the estimates for the year: