UNEMPLOYED LABOUR

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1932, Page 15

UNEMPLOYED LABOUR

METALLING IN BACKBLOCKS WHANGAMOMONA’S REQUEST. KEEN DISAPPOINTMENT FELT. It was hoped by members of the Whangamomona County Council and by settlers of the district generally that a start would shortly be made with the metalling of the Kohuratahi, Whitianga and Putikitino roads by unemployed relief labour, but at Monday’s meetino- of the council notification was received from the Minister of Public Works that this could not be done at present. The council has, however, decided to further push the claims of the settlers for consideration, and to that end the chairman (Mr. N. R. Cleland) will visit Wellington and make direct representation to the Minister of Public Works. At Monday’s meeting of the council a letter from the Minister notified Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P., the council’s request had received careful consideration in the light of the funds available. Although it was realised that the metalling of those roads was a desirable work, the funds available to him were limited to such an extent that the claims of many road works, though desirable, had had to bo held over for further consideration until the allocation available for road works next year was known. For that reason he regretted that in the meantime at least he was unable to authorise a commencement of the work.

In notifying the council Mr. Polson stated that he had done his best but the reply seemed final. The fact was that the money would not go round the national undertakings, let alone road metalling. Cr. Gower: That argument will not hold water, especially iu view of the fact that 70 men have been put on to four miles of metalling at Tututawa. He held that men should be allocated equally for all. The chairman agreed that the position was ridiculous.

The county clerk pointed out that the work at Tututawa would shortly be completed.

“DECORATIVE” WORKS. I

Or. Gower took strong exception to the present position, whereby hundreds of unemployed in outside districts were being employed on work of little or no productive value, being mainly for decorative purposes, while settlers in tlie backblocks on Crown land had no metalled access. By improving the access to the properties the Government was also improving the equity of the Crown in the properties. While there were plenty of unemployed available for road improvement work between Paekakariki and Wellington, it seemed remarkable that there were no unemployed available to do very essential work in the Whangamomona county. 1 Cr. Law said there were from 50,000 to 60,000 unemployed in the Dominion and he was satisfied that some of those men could be diverted to work that would assist the settlers in the backblocks.

Cr. Gower considered that the backblocks were being neglected because they did not carry sufficient voting power to exercise the necessary “pull,” and therefore the work was being carried out near the centres of population. He instanced the work being done on Mt. Egmont. The revenue of the country came from the land and it was ridiculous that such a great proportion of the unemployment relief money should be expended on unproductive work. I

The clerk pointed out that the work at Tututawa, though classified as relief work, was being carried out with money found by the Public Works Department and not by the Unemployment Board. Cr. Gower said the proposed metalling work lent itself admirably to the employment of relief labour as there was plenty of metal available. AU the Minister was asked to do was to send in the men and the council would provide them with the work. If there were 50 or 60 settlers living on the road with as many votes the men would probably be supplied, but at present there were not sufficient votes, so no trouble was taken, which was a wrong attitude for public men to take up. PUNIWHAKAU’-S CASE. Cr. Ford considered that Puniwhakau had made out one of the best cases for relief workers in Taranaki—equally as good as the Kohuratahi road. He admitted that 70 men seemed a large number to be working in one locality, but a considerable length of the road had been metalled, and a great deal of reformation had been done. As far as the unemployed men in Stratford were concerned very few were now working about the borough, as the majority had been transferred “over the fence” to assist in cutting ragwort. _ Cr. Law did not complain about the work that was being carried out at Puniwhakau but was strongly of opinion that it should be extended further into the backblocks. Cr. Ford said that the Mt. Eden County Council did not want to engage relief workers, whereas in the Whangamomona county, where there was plenty of work, there were no men available. He considered there was a lack in the organisation and that the sooner the Public Works Department was given complete control of the scheme, with power to transfer men, the better. He recognised that it might be hard to ask married men to leave their homes, but it would be better for the country and for the men themselves. Indeed, at Puniwhakau there were several married men who were well pleased at the opportunity of earnin<r a little extra money. I’he chairman said that at present men were being supplied with tents and tools and were being sent out to abandoned farms to work under supervision. Once the farm was placed in order the men would be allowed to make application to take over the farm, and a proportion of the cost of putting it in order would be added to the price. Cr. Law expressed keen disappointment at the letter. He regretted that the deputation had not gone to Wellington so as to stress the necessity for the 3 work being put in hand. He agreed that the Public Works Department should take over control of relief work. Cr. Ford said he did not think it was too late yet to send a deputation to Wellington. Cr. Gower agreed that a deputation

should be sent. If land was not worth metalled road access it was not worth owning. Settlers under present conditions. could not afford to pay special rates to metal the roads themselves. On the Whangamomona road the special rates were in some cases driving the settlers off the land. Cr. Law said the settlers themselves would be very keenly disappointed. They had been buoyed up with fresh hope with the possibility of securing metalled access to their properties after over 30 years. Cr. Gower said that the council had been endeavouring to improve the conditions for the settlers but without success. Already there was 600 yards of metal available at the pit, which metal a further half-anile of the road. It was unanimously resolved that a deputation wait on the Minister Public Works with a view to having the works expedited. It was also resolved to send a telegram to Mr. Polson as follows: “The council expresses its keen disappointment at the decision respecting metalling works and requests you to arrange for a deputation to meet the Minister at the earliest possible date.”