WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20562, 13 May 1930, Page 12

WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED.

Sir,—A few days ago Mr. Wallace stated that the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board had spent £40.000 last year on relief of distress and the Hon. J. B. Donald has stated that the Government spent £1.400.000 last year on unemplojrjnent relief. It. seems reasonably certain that these amounts will have to be increased this year. A largo part of the money spent in this way goes on unremunerative objects, e.g., clothes, food, fuel that has been consumed and on parks and play areas that are very, well in their way, but could be done without, until more prosperous times. One scheme would give many hundreds of men useful work for two or three years. That is the Auckland Harbour Bridge. An integral part of the scheme are the two. causeways, one from Northcote to Bayswatcr and the other from Bayswatcr to Stanley Bay. Now that the report of the com- , mission is in the hands of the Government, and, consequently, . the suggested terminals of the causeways known, there, seems to be no valid reason for delay in getting on with the work. Thousands of cubic yprds of earth will have to bo shifted and thousands of tons of stone provided for the aprons. This will give work to hundreds of men. If the causeways are built ahead of the bridge, that will be so much the better; they will have the longer • time to settle down aud consolidate. This suggestion has everything to recommend it and nothing to condemn it. The Government and other public bodies will be eased of the embarrassment and anxiety of providing for the workless; a large number of mea will have the satisfaction of doing work instead of receiving charity; the money will be spent on an eminently useful and necessary object; the developments following on the start to get on with the bridge would give employment to 3n army of workers of all kinds far outnumbering those actually working on the causeways; and, best of all,' it need not, in the long • run, cost the Government or the local bodies sixpence. They can. be- repaid all their expenditure. According to evidence given before the Royal Commission the bridge will have to be financed by private enterprise. So when tenders are called the amount already spent on the causeways'will have to be added to the amount required to complete the whole scheme. Thus the public bodies can be repaid. The tolls .charged will pay off the whole of the capital cost in some 20 years, then the* bridge will bo free. G.E.L. |