AUCKLAND RELIEF

Northern Advocate, 19 April 1933, Page 9

AUCKLAND RELIEF

UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE. THE YEAR’S OPERATIONS. ANNUAL EEPOBT.* (Special to “Northern Advocate.’’) AUCKLAND, This Day. The assistance given in the alleviation of distress in Auckland by the Auckland Metropolitan Unemployment Belief Committee, between its establishment in May, 1932, and the end of the financial year at March 31, is contained in a statement to be-pre-sented at the first, annual meeting

next week. Just over 5000 men have been assisted with Issues of boots, clothing and blankets, given free, or on payment of half costs, and has repaired nearly 5000. pairs of boots-and .shoes for men and their families. Administration expenses for the period, including telephone rentals, amounted to only £49, or..about twothirds of 1 per cent of the total expenditure. This was mainly due to the gratuitous service rendered by Air B. Grieve as superintendent of the committee’s clothing depot, Mr L, Marks, in supervising the boot repair shop, and the town clerk, Mr J. S, Brigham, as secretary and- treasurer.

The cash statement shows that receipts from all sources amounted to £7385 and that the year ended with a credit balance of £1509.. Receipts .included £3461 and donations from the public £2005, out of the proceeds of the “Smith Family” art union, and £l5O from the Bank of New Zealand for the relief of women and children. A subsidy of £l5O was given by the Unemployment Board towards the cost of the boot repairing depot. Payments by relief workers, being half the eost of clothing and boots supplied to them, totalled £928, and £438 was received for repairs to toots.

Material And Medical. The purchase of boots, clothing, blankets, gramophones and records had cost £4570, while £30") had been spent, upon boot repairing materials, and £448 was paid out in grants ’to suburban relief committees and social organisations for local and special relief, including Christmas cheer, medical supplies and goods needed'by women and children. An additional £6l, specially subscribed, was expended on Christmas parcels. The number of men. 1 assisted was 5004, of whom 2314 were , on town relief work and 2670 in country camps.

The following articles, were issued, the number sold, at half price being given in parentheses: —

Bopts,,. 4208 pairs (lav 8 pairs); sox, 4177 jrairs (1741 pairs); denims’, 2102 (545); shirts, 2478 (1083); underpants, 207 (184); blankets, 3074 (707). A lengtlruf 937 yards of flannel was purchased for making up into underwear by women’s organisations. Eighteen gramophones, of which 14 were received as gifts and four purchased, were sent to country camps,' together .with 500 records. Beading matter and playing cards were supplied to 70 camps.

In the boot depot -4348 pairs were reconditioned for relief workers and their families, and 500 pairs given by the pub-lie wore repaired for free distribution, making a total of 4848 pairs.

At the meeting of the committee yesterday it was reported that since March 28 a further. 323 pairs of new boots had boon issued to relief workers, 2(!9 iiv the' city ami d 4 in camps, and 478 pairs had been repaired.