BACK COUNTRY WORK

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 192, 15 August 1931, Page 5

BACK COUNTRY WORK

TRANSPORTING UNEMPLOYED AN EXPENSIVE UNDERTAKING Discussion arose at the monthly meeting of the Wanganui County Council yesterday morning over the question of transporting men employed under the Number 5 Relief Scheme to work in the country. The question resulted upon a letter which had been received from the Prime Minister asking that the cost of the transportation, to be borne by local bodies, would not be a! lowed to affect the interests of the unemployed. The chairman, Mr D. Mackintosh pointed out that the matter was serious. It was Costing £l3O a month to transport men on to the Mangawhero Road. He sugegsted that the council should buy its own lorry for by so do ing the cost of transport to the council would be far cheaper. He did not see how they could carry on as they were. Air W. E. Broderick said that the scheme had been provided for the local bodies to help the Government and that as far as the work itself was concerned they could have done without it. They were in the position, however, that id work was not found for the unemployed they would have to be given sustenance. It would be far better to provide the work. He agreed with the chairman that a lorry should be purchased. Mr A. Collins said that a lot of unemployed could be engaged in the back country. He considered that a scheme could be evolved to run the men out into the back country if they purchased their own lorry. He suggested that in order to overcome running the men backwards and forwards every four doys, the amount of work per week which they were allowed under the Number 5 Scheme, that the council should pay them for the other two days. In that manner they could keep trained men on the job. The matter of purchasing a lorry was left to the chairman and a committee to go into.