UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Evening Star, Issue 20129, 20 March 1929, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Thk deputation Irom the Otago trades and Labour Council which waited on the Prime Minister ysterday in rclcicneo to unemployment had fair reason to be satisfied with his reply to its request. On one point, which was of special importance to the deputation s cause, the answer ot Sir Joseph Mara must have been particularly gratifying to it. If the City Council can devise a programme ol relief works costing £25,000 which will satisly the Public Works Department, the Government may be expected to pay subsidy at the rate of £ lor £ on the whole of that amount, and not merely, as has been the more frequent practice, on the wa"es cost. An amount should be available, therefore, when the council has raised its loan, which will provide for a very real measure of relief. 'J lie problem now is to decide on the kind of works that will meet with the department’* approval. The recommendation of the Finance Committee to bo laid before the City Council at its meeting to-night proposes the raising ol a loan of £2S.QUO li for expenditure upon tho most pressing city works of a nature that it is impossible to do out ol ordinary revenue.'’ Tho recommendation is made dependent upon the granting of a subsidy, and it is pointed out in the committee's report that subsidies in th© past have been seldom given except for extraordinary works, which would be unlikely to he put in hand within any reasonable time apart from the necessity of relieving unemployment. Tlie committee, however, has been unable to lind so lar any extraordinary work which could be put in hand which would not be more or Jess a waste Of money. Us recommendation, therefore, may he thought to violate one condition of Sir Joseph Ward — that tho Government ‘‘cannot be expected to provide money for unemployment relief if that money is going to be spent on works that arc a charge on the ordinary rates of the city.” But if if did not do so, or run the risk of doing so. it would have to violate a much mure important, condition of the Government, that the works must be 11 productive ” —something more useful than merely artificial works- Tho violation of tho more important principle, that is, would' bo inevitable, unless home extraordinary works may be found possible which tho committee so far has not thought of. Tho main paint seems to be that the Prime Minister is convinced that something must be done to help the unemployed, and is prepared to help the city to help them up to the amount that has been indicated- The precise programme of works which shall be of common benefit to them and to tho community should uqt present any difficulties ot agreement. It would be more natural to differ from the Prime Minister’s condemnation of the duplication of tho Port Chalmers line as an unprofitable work. This is not a short-distance line, but a part of the main line, and tho completion of the straightening and duplication of it as far as Sawyers Bay has been urged chiefly for the advantage of the through traffic main trains. Tho work promises to save wear and tear, which arc at present excessive, on the roiling stock, besides quickening up tho express services, and the only plausible argument against its prosecution which wo can imagine is that it may he less urgent than tho completion of those main railways on which Sir Joseph. Ward desires to concentrate. Tho work referred to, however, is not a city but a Government work. It has been recognised that, owing to conditions of it, only a limited number of men can he employed on it at a time, and the reference to this project was really a digression from the main object of tho deputation to Sir Joseph Ward.