MARRIED MEN'S CAMPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21112, 20 February 1932, Page 11

MARRIED MEN'S CAMPS.

ABSORBING UNEMPLOYED. GOOD PROGRESS WITH SCHEME. RELIEVING CITY' POSITION. A very encouraging start has been made in (lie Auckland Province with the scheme of drafting unemployed men from the city and principal centres of population to married men's camps in country districts, where they will he engaged on work that will have the effect of increasing the production of the land. Already a number of camps has been established, mainly with the co operation of county councils and land drainage boards. The scheme was recently approved by the Unemployment Board and in the Auckland Province it is being organised by Mr. W. Slaughter, officer in charge of the Labour Department in Auckland. Ihe arrangement is that the men are to work a full week, with no stand-down week, as under the Xo. 5 scheme. Those classified as four-day men will be paid £2 10s a week and the three-day men 37s 6d a week. In each case comfortable accommodation will he provided, mostly in buildings of a permanent character. The workers will b e required to provide their own food, but all cooking facilities will be provided. They will supply their own blankets and messing gear. Ihe cost of board should not be unnecessarily heavy, as in the single men's camps now in operation it lias been fonud that under Public Works Department supervision the cost of food for each man is under 10s a week. Details ol the Works. The first of the caisps is in the Ohinemuri County, just outside Paeroa. The workers will be housed in a good building, fitted \vith■ bunks and provided with hot and cold water. Twenty men will be employed here on drainago for developing the surrounding fanning land, and it is estimated the work will last thicc months. Approval has been given to another camp in the Ohinemuri County for the purpose of opening up land in the vicinity of the Pukekauri Road. This will consist mainly of providing road access to serve settlers, who are already milking 560 cows. At present it is almost impossible to get the cream waggon out or to transport fertilisers and stores to the settlement. Thus a considerable area of first-class land under production, but at present going back, will be opened. The county council will provide permanent accommodation for the jrien, supervision and insurance, while the settlers will provide team labour for the general work, such as carting. There will be 50 workers on this undertaking and the county council will pay their fares from the city to the work and back to Auckland on completion of the undertaking. It is also possible that arrangements will be made for the men to visit their families at intervals. Other Camps Contemplated. A start is also being made in the Raglan County and it is proposed to establish a married" men's camp near Port Waikato in the near future. Fifteen will be employed on reading and land development work. This task will probably last throughout the winter. Arrangements are well in hand for the establishment of two large camps in the Coromandel County which will absorb at least 100 men. The work to be performed will be of a developmental nature and should last for some months. Progress is also being made with preparations for a large reclamation scheme which the Whangarei Harbour Board is to put in hand in the Whangarei County. The land to be reclaimed will later be cut into small farms. Those to be engaged are to be drawn from among men who have hitherto been working in the Whangarei borough. In addition to these schemes a number of men which has been working in the Henderson town district is to. be drafted to the Waitemata County, while workers formerly engaged in the" Papakura town district are to be transferred to the Manukau County, land improvement being the aim in both cases. A gang of about 20 men which has been doing road work in the Manurewa district will in future be engaged on drainage work under the Manukau County Council. 9 WAITEMATA COUNTY'S PLANS. MORE MEN TO BE ENGAGED. A decision to engage from 20 to 30 extra unemployed for work in county quarries and on metal-spreading was made by the Waitemata County Council at its meeting yesterday. The acting-engineer, Mr. L. F. Faram, said he had approached the Public Works Department with a view to obtaining tents to house the men. Representations had been made to the Defence Department to procuro tents, but if this was unsuccessful, Mr. Faram suggested that he should purchase 50 tents as a county plant item and hire them to the ridings on a wdekly basis. POSITION AT BIRKENHEAD. NORTH SHORE ASSOCIATION. A decision to join the Marine Suburbs' Unemployed"* Association was made by the Birkenhead Unemployed Association on Thursday evening. Messrs. D. Lyons and F. Lees were appointed delegates. It was pointed out. that the separate organisations on tlie North Shore would continue to function as usual to deal with local affairs, but the federated body, embracing Devonport, Takapuna, Northcote and Birkenhead, would bo better able to deal with matters for the general welfare of the unemployed. A committee was appointed to inaugurate a fund for the benefit of members meeting with accident or in case of sickness.