RELIEF WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 22 March 1929, Page 12

RELIEF WORKS

PRESENT RATE STANDS

CITY COUNCIL DECISION

yALUE FOR THE MONEY

Again last night Councillor I!. Scmplc moved that standard union rates of pay should be paid on relief works under the control of the City Council. The nu-tiou was defeated by eight votes to seven. Councillor Somple maintained that to pay lower than trade union rates of pay was to take advantage of the unfortunate position in which a, large number of men found themselves, particularly as the works upon which they wore engaged were ordinary city works on which, in other circumstances, standard rates of pay would bo given. Tho unemployment difficulty was worldwide, and was in part due to tho replacing of men by machinery, condiditions not yet having been adjusted to provide now avenues of employment for the workers so affected. Tho standard rate was only a few pence above tho rato paid, and tho council could very well afford to give full trade union rates. High rents and dear food comlimed with broken pay for broken time to make miserable conditions for the wives and families of a great many •working men. ' It had been said that some-men did not give a fair return for full rates, but was that a reason why .■ill should receive .14s per day only? Those who were able to give a full day's work should bo given an incentive to do so. Councillor It. M'Keen seconded the motion, pointing out that only Sd a day more was involved. Moreover, the council had to bo subsidised 100 per cent, for moneys expended. With the wages paid by the Government accommodation was supplied. In consideration of this the council could pay the extra money. Because the council was subsidised 100.per cent, on labour today, as against 00 per cent, previously on relief works, it was actually paying less to-day (at 14s per day) than when the relief work rate was 12s per day. THE OTHER SIDE. The Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) said that no member wished to cut dowa wages, but the problem was acute. He would bo willing to pay tho w.age if it were not for difficulties, lie did not see how they could pay full wages to ■unemployed in times of stress without tho fear of having to employ them for all time. Tho men unemployed were not the best. They did not get the samo work from the men when unemployment was rife as they got in normal times. Then again, paying full wages in the city would draw workers in from the country to add to the distress. The payment of 14s a day (and most of the council men were paid 14s and not 12s) was that it was desirable to have a slight margin to make men go out and work on other jobs. Without that margin he'did not .see how the council could avoid overcrowding the city.

1 Councillor T. C. A. Hislop said that he would support the motion if the money were to be expended on works that were not such as would have been done in" any case. The council had not the right to got such works done the cheaper because of unemployment.

Councillor W. H. Bennett agreed with the Mayor that the council should not set up conditions which would keep the unemployed with them for all time. There was littlo doubt that men were, leaving Iheir.work in the country to take up relief work at Us per day.

Councillor. J. Burns supported the motion. . It might be true that a percentage of tho'men could not earn the money, ■ but to-day there were many good men out of work, forced to the Charitable Aid Board, eighty per cent, of the maintenance of which body devolved on the city. Any lit man should receive tho award rate.

Councillor G. Mitchell said that lie thought that full rates should be. paid to married men resident in Wellington. He agreed with Councillor Hisloj that the works now proposed had not the true character of relief works, but were ordinary development works. Single men "with dependants should be classed as married men. He would move an amendment accordingly. There : was no seconder and the amendment lapsed. A MARGIN OF DIFFERENCE. Councillor Jf. D. Bennett said that it could not bo denied that most cruncHlors, off their own sentiments, would vote-for the resolution,, but it must bo looked on from a responsibility point of view. .He agreed ■with tho Mayor's views. Ho believed that there- should not be a wide- margin between standard and unemployed relief rates, a principle ■which the council had adhered to, paying a highor rate- than tho Government. What was a safe margin was not easy to determine. Was Sd a day a fair difference to make? He thought so. The resolution proposed to make no difference in the wage for standard or relief works. They were approaching the time to undertake a large numbor of works throughout tho city, and the difficulties, unless tho council safeguarded itself, must bo faced. The citizens would not be so fplly behind them in raising further funds, for the relief of unemployment if the resolution wcro carried, thus increasing tho troubles of the unemployed. It would be unwise for the conn cil to give such a lead as the resolution proposed. The council, said Councillor hi. F. liiickic, was placing itself in tho position of being responsible for providing employment for everyone who might' bo out of work in the city, and for spending largo sums of money which would not bo authorised by tho ratepayers. . Councillor C. D. Morpeth did not think the cost involved was as important as tho principle of getting valuo for money. . Award rates were fixed for able-bodied men, whereas the unemployed contained clerks, shopmen, factory hands, etc. Ho thought tho council would fail as in paying such men full trade 'union rates. The council was making a mountain out <vf. a molehill, said Councillor AY. J. Gaudin. . All the relief works wore useful- developments, and as tho Governmentwas subsidising expenditure & for •S-tho city! .would.bo paying only 7s -id per."day "were the full rates paid. He supported tho motion. Councillor U. A. iluggins supported the motion. . The Mayor said that in addition to not, being able to select tho men, the council could have had much of the work done cheaper, even without subsidy, by contract. At Kaiwarra Park, for instance, the work could have been done much cheap'cr by machinery. As custodians of the city these things must bo borno in mind. Councillor Hislop said that he was not in favour of tho payment of union rates on "all relief works"; he contended, however, that union rates should bo paid upon works which were in tho nature of ordinary city development works, though carried out as relief works. Councillor Semplc, in reply, said that thcr.c was no evideneo that men wcro cioming to Wellington to undertake relief work. At 34s 8d per day, of which 70 to SO per cent, was paid by the. Government, tho city would bo getting good service making for permanent city improvement. Inferring to the anjount ftC Government subsfdjr, Mr. Tr^'igv'gaiSi. -fiffias i4»e

subsidy was paid only on labour, not on material, so that tho & for (£ subsity on labour worked out at about 75 per cent, on labour and material costs. The motion was lost, tho "ayes" being Councillors Somple, M'Keen, Mitchell, Burns, Gaudin, Huggins, and M'Villy. Tho "noes" wore: Tho Mayor, Councillors Aston, 11. D. Bennett, W. 11. Bennett, Hislop, Luckie, Meadowcroft, and Morpeth.