WORK BY CONTRACT

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 30, 4 August 1931, Page 16

WORK BY CONTRACT

; : (To the Editor.) ■ -Sir, —Will you allow me|to express my. opinion of the senseless way in which the No. 5 scheme is being worked.- I myself am a single man and I get two days' work a week. My work is to. clean out cut-outs etc., on the local main highway. Now, would it not he ■ a much better plan to .use the unemployment levy and emergency levy on.a scheme something"like this: A local body has two miles of road to be made, and formed. Instead of giving one Bet'of men fls.per day and another set 12s 6d,- why not lot the job to' so many men (who should- form themselves into groups of four or six), arid let the whole'job in a series of • contracts. Thus,, instead of tne selfish methods of some workers who do as little as they can for as much' as they can get all would have to do their share, or be voted out of the party The slackers who may be voted out of the parties should, be put'together,- and they would have to work or starve. Under the present system we have far too much discontent. Why should a married man receive 12s 6d. per day. whilst workinc alongside him is a single may (a hard worker) who gets fls pep day? lam very much afraid that Mr. Forbes is turnine good workers into loafers. After all is said and done a farm- or a business is only worth, what it will produce, so surely this axiom appliea to the workmen engaged under the.No. 5 scheme. A week or two ago I applied to our local land board for the plan of a property which I wanted to get under the abandoned farms scheme—poor- pakihi- country What was my surprise, to receive a letter saying that before I could even look at the plan I would have to forward 2s 6d. This was about the value, of the land Wes iW<! every day of lots of Government workbeing done m-the North Island such as fencing, draining etc., to help the unemployed, but nothing is done here but country work under the No. 5 scheme If that both the general public and the employer and the employee would be quite satisfied that the unemployment tax was being used to the very best of advantage.—l am, etc., NINE 808 A DAY. iakakn.