SOUTH OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21266, 21 February 1931, Page 20

SOUTH OTAGO.

BALCLUTHA DISTRICT NEWS. 1 - " (From Odr Own Correspondent.) BALCLUTHA, February 20. At a meeting last evening of the committee formed to carry out the work of raising funds for the relief of sufferers by the Hawke’s Bay earthquakes, the Mayor (Mr S. V. White), who presided, stated that the fund he had originally opened now totalled £3BO, and, with the result of this special collection added, the amount would be about £6OO. A letter was read from the manager of the Public Trust Office, Wellington, confirming the offer of the local manager to take charge of the money raised and pay 5.} per cent, at call, until the collection had been completed and the money forwarded to headquarters.—The offer was accepted. The Mayor thanked those who had taken part in the house-to-house campaign, and also the citizens of the town for the generous response made. It was left to the. Mayor and the secretary (Mr Landels) to pay over to the Public Trust the money collected and to prepare a list of donors for the press. UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE. A meeting of the local Unemployment Committee was held last night. The Mayor presided and explained that the No. 2 scheme of the board, as applied locally, had worked satisfactorily. In the borough 17 men were being employed under the No. 5 scheme, and the Bruce County Council contemplated some work in the vicinity of Stirling which would absorb the Stirling and Benhar unemployed.—The secretary (Captain Stone) stated that he had visited Owaka and form a committee for the Gatlins district. Under the No. 2 scheme the committe had expended altogether £43 9s 6d, out of £OO received from the board. The No, 5 scheme was working well in the borough, and the Clutha and Bruce counties were also putting on men under that scheme. Fifty-nine names were on the local list at present, and of these 34 came from Balclutha.—Mr Dawson thought that each local body should look after its own unemployed, as otherwise difficulties would arise in regard to the rate of pay. For instance, the Bruce Council only paid its men 12s a day, whereas the Bnlclutha borough paid 14s, and the men, after working for the borough, would naturally want the same from the county. He believed this was going to develop into a big thing, and it might be very difficult to find work for all in the winter time.—On the motion of Mr Malcolm, M.L.C., it was decided to meet representatives from the Bruce and Clutha County Councils and to put the scheme before them.. It was also decided that delegates from the committee should wait on the local branch of the Farmers’ Union at its next meeting in an endeavour to get farmers interested. FREEZING WORKS INSPECTION. The throwing open to visitors to-day of the South Otago Freezing Company’s works at Finegaud proved a great success. At least 250 people wandered round the works, under the direction of the manager and the foremen of departments. The weather was very warm, and this added to the enjoyment of the visitors. The company, it should be added, ran buses at its own expense from the railway station at _ the saleyards for the conveyance of visitors. SCHOOL JUBILEE. Mr W. O’Connor presided at a meeting of the executive of the School Jubilee Association last night, when a number of accounts were passed for payment. It was decided not to make public a balance sheet in the meantime.