GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 December 1933, Page 9

GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

REPLY TO MR F. L. TURLEY. Referring to the discussion which took place at last week’s meeting. of the Grey Hospital Board, concerning the giving cf extra time at Christmas to the unemployed workers employed by the Grey County Council, the Chairman of that body (Mr Gordon Blair), stated that the remarks made by Mi F L. Turley were in keeping with most cf the public statements made by that gentleman. Mr Turley was, reported as having said that, “It is all ths more discredit to the County Council that they did not give anything. The Council 'had a terrific amount of work cut of the unemployed, for nothing,” and. further, that the Councillors should all be dumped. Mr Blair said that Mr Turley had been well dumped at the last elections, and now that he had' gained a seat, via the back door, he evidently intended again to make as much noise as possible.’’He (Mr Blair) considered that it was bad policy to criticise another local body without first obtaining information. The County Council, ho said, had the largest number of men of any local body under its charge during the past thiee years. The wages under the No. 5 Scheme last year amounted to £15,000, and the Council had first to provide a bank overdraft to meet the weekly payments, find’ all tools, material and equipment to keep the men in employment, as well as bear the tvhole cost of administration and supervision. This amounted to over £2OOO per year, and as the Council throughout the year, had found additional work whenever possible, he thought that the remarks; were most uncalled for. He was sure that Mr Turley did not have the-support of the men, employed by the Council under the No. 5 Scheme. Financially, the Council was unable to do more than it was doing. At the present time, the Council had 150 men employed under the No. 5 Scheme, whilst there were also 300 more under the gold prospecting scheme, and to provide an additional week was quite beyond the Council’s resources.