AUCKLAND COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18808, 2 December 1932, Page 7

AUCKLAND COUNCIL.

WORK AT NORMAL PAY. ONLY REMEDY FOR CONDITIONS. EVERYONE WOULD BENEFIT. AUCKLAND, Friday. The scheme for placing unemployment work in Auckland City upon a new' basis was discussed when the proposals came before the City Council at its special meeting yesterday. The plan was adopted as it stood for submission to the Unemployment Board by the Mayor, Mr G. W. Hutchison. The 'Mayor said that for the past tw T o years at least the council had been spending considerable sums of money in supervision and other expenses connected with relief works Tinder No. 5 scheme. No one would for a moment contend that the wages paid under that scheme were sufficient to enable a man to keep himself and his family, if he had one, at a reasonable standard of comfort. Mr Hutchison contended, and the committee with him, that the only remedy lay in publicly-organised schemes of work at normal rates of pay. If these could be provided tradespeople would benefit from the additional money in circulation and the unemployed would be relieved. “A continuation of the present policy, which I may call deflation, will not get us out of our troubles,” Hie Mayor added. “It is time that someone came forward with a constructive policy. I do not mean that w'C should go in for extravagant schemes that would increase the rates, but we should give a lead to others without putting a 'burden upon our ratepayers."

Sane Spending Necessary.

If money now being spent on No. 5 scheme were diverted to works such as those recommended 'by the Works Committee, which were much more necessary than the development oi waste areas, the council would obtain belter assets and in the process would pay better wages. All credit was due to the Presbyterian congregation at Remuera, which had lately erected a new church, and to the Roman Catholics there, who had just begun one. If everyone buttoned up bis pockets and decided not to spend, the community would never get out of its difficulties.

Mr Hutchison assured the councTi that, it was not proposed to proceed with any works that could not be reasonably financed. It was suggested that preference of employment should be given to city ratepayers, hundreds of whom had rates outstanding.

STATEMENT BY MINISTER. STIMULATION OF WORK DESIRED. WELLINGTON, Thursday. “We will look favourably on anything that will stimulate work,” said the acling-Minister of Employment, Hon. A. Hamilton, when the Auckland City Council’s-plan to spend £160,500 on capital works was mentioned to him this afternoon. “We first of all must know what the nature of the proposition is, and what it involves before we can express an opinion.”