COST OF RELIEF WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20690, 9 October 1930, Page 14

COST OF RELIEF WORKS.

HIGHWAYS BOARD FUNDS. REQUEST FOR STATE SUBSIDY. A decision to request the Government to subsidise at the rate of pound for pound any relief work done by the Main Highways Board was reached at the annual meeting of the Auckland Automobile Association last evening. The motion was brought forward by Mr. M. H. Wynyard, motorists' representative on the Main Highways Board, who said that the Government had been approached in this connection before, but nothing had been done. However, in view of the unemployment fund, it would be a good idea to ask again for a subsidy on relief work. Mr. A. Dignan said that since the petrol tax had been increased and the unemployment tax passed relief work should bo paid for out of the Public Works funds.

Mr. A. Grayson, the president, said it had beeD the custom of tho Government to look upon tho Main Highways Board as a means of finding work for unemployed labour. Now that the Government had withdrawn its subsidy from the board there was justice in tho suggestion that the relief works should bo paid for by tho Public Works Department. It was a different matter when the Government was paying a subsidy, but now that tho motorists \*ero providing the funds they wanted tho best results for their money, and when unemployed labour was engaged the work was often done in the old-fashioned way, with pick, shovel and barlow. Mr. Grayson said. If tho work was done by machinery moro would bo accomplished. Whether it was wise to suggest that relief work should bo paid for from the Public Works funds was a debatablo point, considering the present prevalence of unemployment. Mr. Wynyard said the Highways Board tried to employ relief work where machinos could not be used. If the board had been unable to spend money on relief works many of tho improvements mado in roading recently would not have been done, as tho local authorities would not have contributed Instead of proposing that tho relief work should be paid for by the Public Works Department it would bo better to ask for a subsidy on Highways Board relief works.