DOMAIN BELIEF WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15964, 8 July 1915, Page 4

DOMAIN BELIEF WORKS.

THE POSITION REVIEWED.

EXPENDITURE OF £6000.

HELPING THE PATRIOTIC FUND.

A jtrthei! grant of £500 from the Auckland Patriotic Fund was made yesterday by the combined Finance and Executive Committees of the Patriotic League as a contribution tc-wards the wages of men employed on relief works in the Domain. The total amount voted from the fund is now £2000, and by the time the present grant has been exhausted, the sum of £5000 from the Exhibition surplus will also have been expended.

Questions have been raised on several occasions regarding the propriety of expending upon works in the Domain money which was contributed for the alleviation of distress consequent upon the war. An explanation of the manner in which these works are being carried on, given yesterday by Mr. George Elliot, president of the Exhibition, makes it clear that not only is the money being expended upon works for the permanent improvement of the Domain, but also that by the co-opera-tion of the Exhibition authorities, the Patriotic League has been given very material assistance in dealing with unemployment directly attributable to the war. The Original Programme. Shortly before the outbreak of war, a programme was devised for the improveI ment of the Domain by the expenditure lof the surplus of about £10,000 earned by the Exhibition. The scheme included the formation of recreation area, nearly equal to the present Oricket Ground, by the excavation and removal of some 70,000yd5 of soil. Mr. Elliot said the committee administering the fund proposed to let a contract for this work, and had prepared plans and specifications with a view to inviting tenders. Upon the outbreak of war, Mr. Parr, who was then Mayor, suggested that, as there would probably be a certain amount of unemployment consequent upon the war, the work should be done by day labour. The committee | could not agree to practically ulilise its funds for relief purposes, especially as it desired to conserve a portion of the comparatively small amount at its disposal for the erection of an elaborate fountain, a winter garden, or some other permanent commemoration, of the Exhibition. The committee considered that if it undertook to spend all its funds upon the relief of unemployment it would be unable to complete this programme. Arrangement With the League. The conclusion finally reached was that the Patriotic League voted £1000. on condition that the Exhibition authorities provided £2000, and that the money was expended solely in the payment of wages. Since" then i?«S« ea - Ue has provided two sums of i.500 each, including that voted yesterday, on the same condition. There has therefore, been provided a total of £6000 of which only one-third has been contributed by the Patriotic League, and of which £1500 is still to be expended. Mr Elliot stated that the Exhibition authorities had also provided all the tools and plant required for. the work at an additional cost of about £1000. Employment has been given only to married men, and each man has been given only three davs work at 9s a day each week. The recent wet weather has curtailed the operations and at present only about 100 men are at work. About half the excavation and levelling has been completed, and when the sum of £1500 now available has been expended, during the next three months, about one-third of the work will still remain to be done. Finishing the Undertaking. '" This arrangement l:?.s been of verv great value to the Patriotic League," Mr. Elliot remarked. " Employment has been, given to a very large number of men. many of whom had no qualification for physical labour than their willingness to work, and their necessity to earn a little money. It is obvious that men accustomed to such work would not remain at such employment when they were able to obtain, work for six days a week, and, consequently, the Exhibition funds have not been spent as economically as we proposed before conditions were altered by the war. If the Exhibition Committee had not i practically converted its plans into reliet works, the Patriotic Fund would have had to bear the whole cost of relieving a very large amount of distress.

•' While the Exhibition Committee is perfectly in sympathy with the arrangement," Mr. Elliot continued, " the matter must be carefully considered at the end of the period for which provision was made by to-day's grant. It is just possible tnat the relief works will have to be discontinued, and the scheme completed by contract. Under the present arrangement we have no guarantee that works which are started will be completed, and we want to be certain that we shall have sufficient money to finish our undertakings. This security would be provided bv a contract, as we should not undertake work which would cost more than the money which we have available."