WAIPOUA RIVER WORK.

Wairarapa Age, 1 December 1936, Page 4

WAIPOUA RIVER WORK.

ME. J. ROBERTSON ON POSITION. GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY OFFER. Extended reference to the dispute over the Waipoua River improvement work was made by Mr. J. Robertson M.P. when speaking at St. Matthew’s Parish Hull last night. In coming before .% meeting of M’asterton people as nieml er for the district, Mr. Robertson said, it would naturally bo expected that he should ask the Mayor to preside at the meet'ng. At the present meeting he would probably have occasion tj criticise the Masterton Borough Council, which involved Mr. Jordan’s administration. If Air. Jordan had been asked to preside it would have put both the Mayor and the speaker himself in a rather invidious position. Mr. Robertson .Mtid he considered it to be regrettable that what was purely a question of policy of administration locally should be- given a rather personal turn. Whatever was one’s political school of th night, once a man was elected to represent the district there were certain things required for tho advancement oti the welfare of the district and the people represented and thurt was only possible in the best way by the fullest co-operation of all public men in the district. He had been anxious to get that co-operation and he regretted to say that he had not g-4 it in the measure in w’hich it should have b«'-en forthcoming. Referring in more detail to the local unemployed position, Air. Robertson said that since December 14* last there had been some increase on the local register. Some of the men in the relief eamps which had been closed down had come back and increased the number. The peak figure reached was 361 on July 18 (including sustenance and Scheme 5 men). Since then there had .been a steady decrease until for last month it wan down lo 311. It was going down steadily all the time. One effect in the last two months of the trouble on the Waipoua River job had been that men on Scheme No. 5 work had dropped to 35 and those on sustenance had gone up to 275. Work had been carried out on the Waipoua River for a number of years from 1933 up till March, 1936, a sum of £5,766 having been spent on that work. The total amount spent in Afasrerton from the Unemployment Fund from 1933 to the present time was just on £30,000. In the last twelve months, up to October 10, £ll,64|»had been spent from this fund in Masterton, nearly £lOOO a month* From January 1 to Afay 23 there were three or four—not more than five—unemployed on subsidised work, on the Waipoua, doing supposed protective work. The cost to the Unempitoyment Fund was £l4l, at a rate of subsidy of 35s per week per man, the Borough Council paying 25s per week. The Goveruinent then increased the standard rate of pay from 12s to 16s and ii.ireased’ the sustenance rate as from June 1. On June 1 a big i scheme was started on the Waipoua, where nearly 10J men were employed on relief work and continued until October ]O. Tl?e cost to the Unemployment Fund was £3,052 I3s 6d. Air. Robertson said that when he told a meeting of Waipoua relief workers that they would not again go back to that work except at full standard rates of pay and that he considered the . Borough Council had fallen down on its job, the Mayor had said that it was arrant impertenance for him to say that. On the same occasion on which he made those remarks, Air. Jordan ■ had said that lie was sorry for the men, as they had been misled. When- , ever men. revolted against anything they weciß said to have been misled. One might even say, said Afr. Robertson, it was impertinent to the men to say that they were misled and ’ it was just as easy to be impertinent to a relief worker as it was to the Alayor. Air. Robertson went on to refer in detail to the negotiations that i had taken place regarding the Waipoua River work between the Government and* the Borough Council and read several letters bearing on the question. As far as he knew, the Alinister of Public Works was still prepared to pay a subsidy’ ef 45s per man per week for full-time employment of eligible married men on this job. That offer was made on July 13 and he maintained that the borough could have gone L on w’ith the job. The borough would i have had to bring the wages up to £4 L per week Jer man by paying 35s per w’eek to each man employed. Air. Robertson read a letter from the Bor- ‘ ough Council in reply to one from him ! making representations about this I work, stating that his (Air. Roberti son’s) letter had been * 4 received.” « After dealing in detail with other aspects of the negotiations by the borI ough with the Government, Air. Robertson said that as the elected representative of the district he had every right to interest himself in the ex- ; penditure of Government money Ly 1 local bodies and if Afr. Jordan resent- • ed him doing that then it w\is throw* ! ing an insult into the teeth of the , |M*ople who elected him to that tion. Mr. Robertson said he din not want the matter to become a personal one betvvedi Air. Jordan and himself. There was a principle involved. He pointed out that it was the policy of the present Government to deal with 1 all matter affecting electorates through the elected member. That related not only to Government members, but to every member of the House. The via » media between local bodies and the Government, said Afr. Robertson, was the elected member and if interviews with Afinisters were desired they should be arranged through rhe member.