UNEMPLOYMENT

Southland Times, Issue 20207, 18 June 1927, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT

THE LOCAL POSITION REVIEW BY THE MAYOR FINANCE THE CRUCIAL POINT Some details in connection with the unemployment position in Invercargill were given by his Worship the Mayor, Mr J. Miller, to a Southland Times representative yesterday afternoon. “At the present time,” he said “there are 80 names on the Town Engineer’s unemployment list. Of this number 24 have been given work at intervals. At present 12 men are at w r ork. The Reserves Department is employing 20 men, 10 at the Waihopai Reserve, eight on the reserves and two at Sandy Point domain, the total number of men working for the corporation being 32, over and above the permanent staff. “The engineer has submitted a plan of relief work consisting of drain laying, street forming and the filling in of sections, if £4200 can be found.” Mr Miller remarked that as far as the actual carrying out of the work was concerned the men h®d asked that they be allowed to work for nine consecutive days, instead of so many each week. This request had been agreed to. “The Reserves Department has agreed to subsidise, £ for £, the £BOO contributed by the Returned Soldiers’ Association, so that there will be a fund amounting to £1,600 to provide work for the returned men. “So far the Government has promised subsidies for voluntary subscriptions only but I have telegraphed the Prime Minister, asking for a decision in regard to an unemployment subsidy. MAYORAL REPRESENTATIONS. MR. COATES’ REPLY. GOVERNMENTAL AID PROMISED. The Mayor (Mr. John Miller) has received the following telegram from the Hon. J. G. Coates in reply to his representations on the question of unemployment:— “Replying to your wire the Government will grant a subsidy on moneys borrowed for the sole purpose of the relief of unemployment, provided works have not been included in any schedule of works for which a loan has been raised by the local authority. The Government will subsidise at the rate of £ for £ voluntary subscriptions by private individuals provided these have been handed over to local bodies for expenditure upon approved relief works. *Where counties, road boards or other local bodies in rural districts raise loans for the relief of unemployment the Government will consider each application upon its merits and where approved will grant. £ for £ upon the total cost of the work. Parliament will be asked to extend the operation of the Act passed last year to enable local bodies to raise loans for the relief of unemployment. Works which local bodies propose to put in hand for the relief of unemployment must be approved by the Public Works Department. It will facilitate matters in the passing of a loan by the Local Government Loans Board if the Public Works Department is asked to approve of the work before the loan is raised. No work will be subsidised in a city, borough or town district unless sixty per cent, of the estimated cost is to be paid for labour on the actual work done. The Government will subsidise such approved works up to fifty per cent, of the cost of the labour. Where local bodies see fit to pay more than the relief rates of 12/- for married men and 9/- for single men the Government subsidy on the cost of labour before referred to will be calculated upon a 12/- and 9/- rate of pay and not upon any higher rate.”(Signed) J. G. Coates.

GOVERNMENT’S SUBSIDY. DISAPPOINTMENT EXPRESSED. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, June 17. Disappointment was expressed by several members at the City Council meeting with the Government’s decision to pay a subsidy on the basis only of 12/- and 9/- per day. The Mayor said as the council was giving 12/- and 14/- the subsidy, instead of being half extra would be about one-third. DUNEDIN ACTIVITIES. £5OOO TO BE BORROWED. Dunedin, June 17. The Finance Committee of the City Council to-day decided to borrow £5OOO for unemployed relief and to make arrangements to secure immediately sufficient money to provide work for 50 men widening the city streets. The. Dunedin unemployed roll now stands at 419. MASTERTON FEELS THE PINCH. Masterton, June 17. A meeting of unemployed was held in Masterton to-night, over eighty being present. It was stated that there were over one hundred men in the town at present out of work. A committee was set up to approach both the borough and county councils requesting the commencement of some relief work, and also to communicate a request to the Minister of Public Works to proceed with relief gangs on the Mount Bruce highway between Ekatahuna and Masterton as was promised several weeks ago, or to commence public work jobs in some other part of Wairarapa.