RELIEF LABOUR ON A FARM

Southland Times, Issue 22818, 18 February 1936, Page 8

RELIEF LABOUR ON A FARM

mr McDougall inquires about cost. “He knows I voted against him and worked against him at. the election, and that is where the sting comes im This remark was passed by Mr G. W. Whittingham at a meeting of the Gore Unemployment Committee last evening'when a letter from Mr D. McDougall, M.P., was under discussion. He requested information about the cost of work carried out by relief labour on Mr Whittingham’s farm. Mr McDougall’s letter stated: I would be glad if you could let me have a return of all money that your committee has spent on Mr Whittingham’s farm at Waimumu. As the House will meet shortly it would be interesting to know.” A report attached by the secretary stated that no record was available of the amount spent on this work. The job had been authorized by the Southland Executive Committee. Mr Whittingham said that the amount of money spent could be easily ascertained. Mr F. N. Murray asked whether the inquiry was in order, and the chairman (Mr W. D. Shelton) replied that he did not think it was. Mr W. O’Byrne said that Mr Whittingham was just as much entitled to take advantage of the scheme as any other person. It appeared that Mr McDougall was trying to get one back on Mr Whittingham for “that incident on election day.” The chairman said that if the full facts were known it would be found that the unemployed workers had actually been favoured in the matter of free transport beyond what they were entitled to. ’ Mr Whittingham said that when the scheme was first mooted there was no one in the district anxious to try it and he had offered to give it a trial to get it started. After he had tried it and found it workable, other farmers had been prepared to adopt it. He had conveyed the men out to his farm by lorry and had actually carried out men to other farms. He had conveyed up to 22 men, only eight of whom were employed on his farm. Mr Murray supported this statement and said the committee had welcomed Mr Whittingham’s offer to give the scheme a trial. Mr Whittingham said the scheme had been a success, since he had taken men out of the town to do useful work. A tremendous amount of valuable work had been carried out in the district. Mr O’Byrne moved that Mr McDougall be advised that the information could be supplied on application to the Southland Executive Committee. This was seconded and carried. Mr Murray remarked that the previous Government was now out of office and “throwing mud was not going to do any good.”