MONEY RETURNED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 539, 23 August 1932, Page 5

MONEY RETURNED.

: Sum of £2300 Not Spent on Relief. CITY COUNCILS POSITION. Since April 1 a sum of £2300 allocated to Christchurch by the Unemployment Board has been returned to Wellington owing to the not being expend--1 ed by any local body. ’ A statement that the City Council’s . practice of subsidising relief rates had t prevented that sum being spent in , Christchurch was made by Councillor 3 E. 11. Andrews at the meeting of the . council last night. The statement was j contradicted by the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) and Councillor J. M’Combs, and an explanation of the position was made by Councillor J. W . Bcanland. f Councillor Andrews said that the i £2300 could have provided work for - many more men. He questioned i j whether the council could not employ -'men without giving a subsidy on i I wages. It was necessary to make a i j strong effort to employ more men, or i | the city’s allocation from the board might > j be reduced if part of it were regularlv I returned to Wellington. -} The Mayor: I don't think that has - j anything to do with the subsidy quesI I tion. That is another matter. Councillor Andrews: I believe I am right in saying that the two matters are closely connected. 1 am in posses- [ sion of the facts, and I take it that the . council cannot find the amount of the subsidy to employ more men. I Councillor J. M’Combs. M.P.: You . ‘‘take it.” You should find out. The Mayor stated that on the only , occasion on which the council had been asked to employ more men, it had done Councillor Beanland explained that ja rule of the Unemployment Board had been that when a local body overspent its allocation it had to pav the difj ference. I A denial of the statement that the j money had been returned because the { council could not find the amount of j | its usual subsidy was given by Coun- ! rill or J. M’Combs. The board now renl- ! ised its mistake in insisting on the rule I j concerning over-spending of the alloca- ! I lion, and had rescinded the rule. The j position was created through a wrong 1 policy of the board.