EFFICIENCY OF UNEMPLOYED

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 September 1933, Page 5

EFFICIENCY OF UNEMPLOYED

ONEHUNGA ESTIMATE

FOREMAN PREFERS “DOLE”

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

AUCKLAND, September 5.

The Onehunga Borough Council has been conducting relief works for three years, and, last night, the foreman, Mr R. Gordon, made a report and recommendations. He said that the aggregate strength of the men employed was 600, -which was equal to 270 men for full time, but His estimate of their efficient strength was 90 men for full time. “Disinclination to work, lack of ability, poor equipment, and intimidation towards those men willing to work, on the part of the undesirable element, are responsible for much of the loss of efficiency, together with the fact that the proportion of labour to the available material is so hopelessly unbalanced, that efficient results cannot be expected. “My opinion, after three years experience of supervision of relief work, is that it would be better for the Unemployment Board to. take over, -the whole of the unemployed and pay the existing rates as a dole. In the event of a local body, or. private firm requiring’labour, it could draw on the Board for such number of men as would adequately man a job, without excess, and thus maintain the standard of workmanship and labour that, will be necessary in prosperous times. ’ The Council will review the whole question, at. the next meeting.