THE RAGWORT MENACE

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1932, Page 9

THE RAGWORT MENACE

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 Otorohanga County Council, which is to employ 50 men on this work. The first batch of 20 left Auckland yesterday for Otorohanga, 20 more will be .despatched to-day and the remaining 10 are to go south to-morrow.. 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 the wages. It is left to tne county councils to make arrangements with the farmers benefiting from the work to repay the outlay incurred. The Waitomo County Council has several camps manned with registered unemployed. It is intended to transfer a number of these men to the work of ragworth eradication this week on terms similar to those arranged between the Otorohanga council and the 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 U 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.