UNEMPLOYMENT

Evening Star, Issue 20556, 7 August 1930, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT

CITY COUNCIL’S SPECIAL EFFORTS REVIEWED BY THE TOWN CLERK “It is obvious that the council will nob be in a position to employ anything like the number of men during the year, as the necessary funds will not be available,” states the Town Clerk (Mr G. A. Lewin) when discussing unemployment relief in his annual report. As was forecasted in last year’s report, the council was again called upon to make a special effort during the present year to provide funds for the carrying out of unemployment relief works. The special relief loan authorised by council on March 21, 1929, was raised and wholly expended during the year. It is necessary to point out that, although the council fixed the amount of the loan at £25,000, the actual sum authorised by the Loans Board was £19,000, the difference between that sum and the £25,000 representing the anticipated amolxnt of the Government subsidy which would be payable. The loan schedule set out a lengthy list of the works covered by the authorisation, and as these were to be completed by December 31, 1929, the operations had to be put in hand without delay and completed expeditiously*. In addition to the Relief Loan Works, a largo number of relief works were carried out by the Reserves Department, the total expenditure by that department amounting to £3,887. The combined effort of the Works Department and the Reserves Department, therefore accounted for a total expenditure of £28,887, of which the sum of £8 ; 361 represented the Government subsidy. Included in the Reserves Department’s total is the sura of £1,085, provided by the Returned Soldiers’ Association out of the Poppy Day funds, and £375 contributed by various clubs and the Amenities Society. The above specific provisions did not, however, wholly represent the actual contribution of the council towards unemployment relief. This is explained by the fact that the council had at its command an unexpended balance of the Public Works Loan amounting to £12,593, in addition to the £50,000 loan authorised for repairing the damage wrought by the floods from the Leith. At the end of the financial year the council had spent the £12,593 and £42,0Q0 of the Flood Damage Loan. Amalgamating the whole of the foregoing figures, we get the total of £83,480, made up as follows: — Reserves Department Relief Works £3,887

If to that total is added the sum of £12,681, representing the amount l of the petrol tax actually expended during the same period, wo get the substantial figure of £96,161 as represent ing the special expenditure of _ the council for the year on works within the city area, quite apart from the ordinary maintenance vote provided by the general municipal account. As a matter of fact, the council has for some years been carrying an abnormal labouring staff, but the_ present year saw a further sharp rise in the ■ number, as will be realised when it is stated, that for portions of the period under review, the_ city engineer had on all works under his jurisdiction, including waterworks, drainage, and the dam construction operations at Waipori. a grand total of over 900 labourers, while those under the control of the superintendent of reserves averaged over 110. It is obvious that the council will not be in a position to employ anything like that number of men during the incoming year, as the necessary funds wiU not be available. At the close of the year the whole question was receiving the serious consideration of council in consequence of the receipt of renewed demands for further substantial relief expenditure, and # a Special Committee was set up to investigate and report fully on the subject at the earliest possible date.

Relief Works Loan . .. 25,000 Balance Public Works Loan , .. 12,593 Flood Relief Loan . .. 42,000 £83,480