CAMPS CRITICISED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19670, 12 December 1933, Page 6

CAMPS CRITICISED

destroy incentive BENEFIT TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES Reference to the good work being ao Sf by uriern Pl°yed boys on the semipublic lands in the Clandeboye district provoked a discussion on camps at a meeting of the Timaru Unemployment Committee last night. The matter was introduced by Mr , J. Mathers, who said that members oi the committee might be interested to hear of the good work being done ov unemployed boys, who were in camp in the Clandeboye district. The boys had be ® n * or ' c i n S on drains on education and High School endowment lands, and they had cleared up a good deal of swamp country. Already they had made a considerable difference to the locality. . 8. Lang: "Why don't we be honest about the matter of camps?" He went on to say that he had read glowing reports In "The Timaru Herald concerning camps in the Mackenzie County, where the unemployed were making a road 14 miles long -o Glen Lyon station. He agreed with camps from the point of view of the provision of food and accommodation but a good many people seemed 'o think that they had got over the trouble by placing men In camps, where all incentive was destroyed. He would never cease to protest against them, because to him they were repugnant. The men received one day's pay for one week's work. Why did they not say that the work was being done at the expense of the unemployed? He thought that the Mackenzie County Council was receiving far more benefit from the camps than they were confering on the unemployed. The Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite): I don't think that. You are wrong there. Detrimental to Boys. Mr P. B. Foote said that Mr Lang had appealed to them to be honest and personally, he did not like camps, but when Mr Lang stud the men received one day's pay for six days' work, he forgot that they received board, so that actually they did six days work for three days’ pay. Me R. B. Hart: Some of the young men don t want to leave the camps. Mr Lang said that that might be so to a certain extent. Probably the social aspect had something to do with It. but the principle was wrong. Mrs McCombs had said recently that camp life was detrimental to the boys, and she knew something about it. The Mayor: She may, or she may not. I don't think a statement like that should go out from this meeting. We cannot blame the Mackenzie County Council because we. as a committee, implored them to start the camps. Mr A. H. Moore said that the men were not willing to admit that thev were under paid, but they put the blame on their representatives, who were made the chopping blocks. The Mayor: “You want to make the committee the chopping block for the remainder." (Laughter.) He went on to say that the Timaru Borough Council had opened a camp at Briggs Oully to ease the situation, and they would be only too willing to close it As much as they disliked these things, and It was all very well to criticise, they had to be done unless something better was put up. Mr Lang said that if a war was to break out. the men would be heroes, and the Mayor would probably be making congratulatory speeches. Thev would be the men who would be called on. The Mayor: They would not be the only ones. * There was no further discussion.