SCHEME 13 WORKING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 98, 25 March 1940, Page 6

SCHEME 13 WORKING.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Hon. R, Semple (Minister for Public Works') is nothing if not dramatic —his attitude at the Bur wood golf course exemplifies this. 1 am inlormed that his ten minutes’ performance of shovel and barrow work was •accomplished on planki.ng for wheelbarrowing. which the Id scheme men were never supplied .with, be the going soft or hard. One wonders wliy i there was such a drastic action in these dismissals when by i>ast Ministerial statements this measured work effort lias been fostered. Mr Semple has stated at different times that machinery was to do away with laborious work; of course, the men naturally took such a statement to mean less and lighter work for more money, due to wage rises. .Next we have Hon. P. Webb stating that No. 13 scheme men would always have their jobs secured to them, out of ordinary taxation. This statement was made at the time of the absorption of the unemployed eightpence tax into the shilling social security tax. In view of even the above statements the taxpayers need not wonder at the amount of work which has been returned in general for 17s Scl per day on scheme 13 works. Mr Semple’s action ha 6 been overdue by some three years, speaking generally. This fact has been noted by those who foot the bill for these sundry works. One is driven to the conclusion that Mr Semple and his colleagues realise that such spendthrift public works, city and county council jobs under scheme 13 cannot be continued on the country’s taxable revenue, along with tlie war expenditure; hence the drastic action of Mr Semple on this occasion. with a further curtailment of scheme 13 highly probable.—l am, etc., OBSERVER.