THE RAGWORT MENACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21346, 22 November 1932, Page 11

THE RAGWORT MENACE

CAMPAIGN BY COUNTIES

KING COUNTRY ACTIVITIES

THE USE OF UNEMPLOYED

A start is to be made this week by two counties south of Auckland with the work of fighting the ragwort menace, utilising labour provided by the Unemployment Board. Men have been recruited in Auckland by the Auckland staff of the Unemployment Board for the Otorobanga County Council, which is to employ 50 men on this work.

The first batch of 20 will leave for Otorohanga to-day, 20 more will be despatched to-morrow and the remaining 10 are to go south on Thursday. Arrangements are being made by the county council to house the men. Some of them will be billeted with farmers and the others will be accommodated in small camps. The fares of the workers are to be paid by the county council, which is also providing equipment and materials, while the Unemployment Board will pay tho wages. It is left to the county councils to make arrangements with the farmers benefiting from the work to repay the outlay incurred. Tho Waitomo County Council has several camps manned with registered unemployed. It is intended to transfer a number of these men to the work of ragwort eradication this week on terms similar to those arranged between the Otorohanga' council and tho board.

It was stated yesterday by an officer of the Unemployment Board that in any county where there were Public Works camps manned by single men paid by the board the services of the men could be utilised by the county council when required. In addition the councils could use local labour for this work as well as men engaged on "over the fence" schemes and the board would continue to pay the wages.