THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1930. CHANCE FOR LOCAL BODIES.

Thames Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 17971, 21 August 1930, Page 4

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1930. CHANCE FOR LOCAL BODIES.

Anj' person who does not know that the unemployment position has reached what Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, yesterday described in the House as “a desperate stage,” must be gping about with his eyes shut. This has indeed been a hard winter, and it has been only with the utmost difficulty that many families have kept the wolf of starvation from the door. However, though it has been exceedingly difficult to any sort of work whatsoever for these persons who, either by their misfortune or their ineptitude, have been thrown out of employment, now a reasonable chance 1 of some palliative is arising. This, though admittedly it can only be termed a temporary expedient, is considerably better than none, and will, if granted in the proper way, do much to alleviate the present situation. Briefly though the matter has been a cause for surmise for some little time, -it was only yesterday that a definite promise was extricated from the Prime Minister that he would pay a £2 for £1 subsidy upon all labour undertaken by local bodies with the idea of providing relief work. Many local bodies, especially in the North Island, having to cope with an everincreasing motor traffic, have been feeling the strain almost beyond their powers, and have been obliged to' concentrate practically the whole of their energies upon their main roads to the detriment of their side roads. In this locality in particular, in fact, in practically the whole of the Coromandel Peninsula, there has been a great difficulty experienced by the local bodies in maintaining their main roads, and this has undoubtedly somewhat crippled any work upon the byroads. In this respect a good example has been set by a number of settlers who have come to their own assistance by subscribing towards the betterment of their own road, and instances of this could be multiplied. Now is the chance for the local bodies to take advantage of the promise of the Prime Minister and reap the benefit by the re-con-ditioning of some of their back roads tvith the two-to-one subsidy to help them, and the added beneficial effect of providing work for those who really need it. There is an instance in the Coromandel County where a number of property

owners in Mercury Bay have banded together and offered to contribute to the funds of the County Council to improve a road, providing the Council will itself obtain the Government relief subsidy of two-for-one. This is an example which might well be followed not only by local bodies but also by citizens, who would thus improve their properties and help their fellow-men. It is at any rate worth consideration, and we commend it to our publie.