WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
» — IMPRESSIVE FIGURES. I 13,373 MEN ON PUBLIC WORKS £290,000 FOR RELIEF WORKS. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Members of the House were rather overwhelmed by a mass of figures which the Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Public Works, produced at the end of the debate on unemployment to-night to demonstrate what has been done to relieve the situation. They demonstrated that 885 more men were employed by the Government than when it came into ollice. Details of the distribution of the workers were as follow:— Govt. Local Body Works. Works. Tl. Auckland .... 1,204 770 2,064 Wellington .. 42S (i 47 1,070 Christcliurch 722 702 1,424 Dunediu .... 290 104 490 Other places,. 1,022 622 2,144 Totals .. 4,257 2,033 7102 Considerable numbers of men had been engaged in the country districts by forestry and local bodies, said the Minister. Provision had also been made for the employment' of further men, as follows: Auckland, 200; Napier, 20; Wellington, 50; Christchurch, 100. There had been some difficulty in getting suitable work for Auckland men near the city, as the City Council had proposals before them, and it was found necessary to send men to Taumarunui, and some were not inclined to go such a long distance from their homes. The Minister remarked that it was regrettable that the Government was unable to catch up with the demand for work, and probably they would never reach a position when it could be said there was no man seeking employment. Work Attractive. "It has been represented to me;' , continued Mr. Ransom, "that we are creating a difficulty by offering attractive work to relief workers. I consider the work should be made as attractive as possible! and the men made as comfortable as possible, and placed in a position to earn satisfactory wages to make up their losses through, being out of jvprk. At
the same time, it had been pointed out to me that attractive conditions in regard to public works are drawing men from Australia, realising they have a hotter chance of obtaining work than in their own country. I have at all times impressed on my officers, and the Minister of Labour is taking the same precaution, that men who come into the country are not to be given consideration over our own citizens. We cannot provent them coming in if they desire, but at the same time we can avoid giving special encouragement.to outsiders compete against our own citizens. Men Finding Other Work. Out of 5000 men placed on relief wrkj in the particular period, the Minister said it was a. satisfactory thing to find* 2500 had left, and they were encourage to find employment elsewhere. « Government expenditure on including local body subsidies, tod." K as follows:— Year ended March 31, 1028, JgJJ Year ended March 31, 1929, fW} Five months ended August «• £290,000. Subsidies promised local bodiM-Jg the Government assumed office totw £142,031, and a further £30000 hj been offered local bodies who !»*»% submitted proposals. Since April,Jj approval had been given for £ °W\. subsidies to local bodies for relief «o» > and £20.227 of that sum was pa» local bodies in the Auckland district, i only place where unemployinelitacute was Auckland, with 8(4 re?tions. Christchurch had C3O. Since: JJ! 952 men had been placed in AucWiWj Government works and 301 by ' bodies. In Christclmrch 342 hld'« placed on Government works, ana with local bodies. The weekly, number of men employed on P works, including local body effljHfl* 1 was:— Financial year. 1027-28, H.OOO. Financial year, 1928-29, 12,488. January 1, 1929, to date, 13,3(3.
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Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 10
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595WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 10
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