HOUSING SUBSIDY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19943, 30 October 1934, Page 6

HOUSING SUBSIDY

APPLICATIONS IN TIMARU STILL A LOT OF DISTRESS At last night’s meeting of the Timaru Unemployed Committee, the Mayor <Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) remarked i that under the new house-building subsidy scheme, applications for work l of a total value of £53,000 had been | received. The statement was made following ; the reading of a letter from the Commissioner of Unemployment (Mr G. C. Godfrey), dated September 26, in which he quoted the total value of the applications at that date as £32,000, of which £25.000 had been approved. The Commissioner explained that while all these buildings might not be erected in the town itself, it was reasonable co assume that in a majority of cases they would be as all the applications had been forwarded through the Timaru office. Mr Godfrey suggested that in making representations regarding the measure of relief granted to Timaru the Committee had not taken this factor into consideration. He was sure the Committee would agree that renewed activity in the building and related trades to the extent indicated in these figures must inevitably have a decided effect on the general unemployment position. As the present building scheme had been in operation only a few weeks its full effect would not be evident for some time, and the fact that these totals had been reached at such an early stage must be regarded as distinctly promising and an indication that further activity in this direction. and consequently some amelioration of the present unhappy state of affairs in Timaru, might De confidently expected. The Mayor said that they had to acknowledge the position as set out by the Commissioner. Although the number of unemployed had increased, there were practically no tradesmen on the books, which showed that the housing subsidy had done some good. They had to acknowledge the fact that the scheme had done good. Mr G. T. Roller said that while ’t was unquestionable that the subsidy had provided work for a certain number of men, the fact remained that the lot of a good many of the unemployed had been very little affected, and according to the report of the secretary of the Central Relief Society, there were between 300 and 400 married men whose average earnings were £l/1/3 a week. While it might be fortunate for tradesmen to be absorbed through the subsidy, the fact remained that there were a large number of people who had to live on £l/1/3 a week, and that was a sheer impossibility. They could not congratulate themselves too much on the fact that the building operatives had been absorbed, and blind themselves to the fact that there was still a great deal of distress. The Mayor said that the Committee had always done its best, and would continue to do so, but it could not get the Board to go above its present scale.