£ FOR £ SUBSIDY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19062, 26 July 1927, Page 14

£ FOR £ SUBSIDY.

RELIEVING UNEMPLOYMENT.

ARE PEOPLE BEING MISLED ?

It was decided at yesterday's meeting of the Citizens' Unemployment Committee to engage another 100 men for relief work. Mr E. H. Andrews presided over an attendance of fourteen members.

Harold Johnson-Hill, queen carnival producer, Huntly, wrote advising that he was busily engaged organising a queen carnival in aid •of the Huntly Silver Band and the unemployment scheme under the direction of the Huntly Town Board. He would be finished there on October 14th, and would communicate with the committee alter that date. The committee would have no financial responsibility at all. •The letter was referred to the Finance Committee. ~ • -\ letter was received -from Major Haines officer in charge ° f vationArmy-Men's Home at Addrogfrom the committee. It was pointed out that the Home had sheltered and fed nearly 100 men nightly during this winter Mrs Herbert had been very kind in having assisted a little with foodstuffs but this had not met the heavy st am upon the finances. The Army had done its best to assist the relief depot by taking the single men for shelter ami food." He' asked whether it would be possible, for the committee to vote n little sum from the.relief funds, and <-o help the Army to straighten things out. If the committee could possibly manage £SO, the writer would be deeply grateful. He could appeal to tae public, and get a ready response, bub he did not wish to do that if he could help it. At the present he would have to. face one of two things—either make an appeal for money, .or curtail the number of men There were fully 30 men over and above the ordinary accommodation. Unless he could get some assistance, he would have to close the doers against these men, so would like the committee to understand the position. The Rev. J. F. Coursey suggested that the letter be referred to the Depot Committee. He said they could not give anything out of their, ordinary funds. Mr R. B. Owen said the Salvation Army Home had practically been a branch of the relief depot. Mr A. F. Drayton suggested that the letter be referred to the combined i Depot and Finance Coinmittees 3 and this was agreed to. . Improving School Grounds.

Mr Chas Fisk, chairman of the Aldington School. Committee, wrote for-' warding a cheque for £lO, and asking that the- committee agree to a pub-si-iy. equal to this amount for ground improvement, on the same terms as were granted to East Christchurch school. , It was agreed to comply with the request. The Finance Appeal. Committee reported : It was agreed that all accounts be first scrutinised by Mr Winsor and then presented to the, committee for payment. The financial statement was as follows:—Receipts to July 25th, £4690 6s Id; payments direct from fund, £1428 8s 9d; bv Gity Council account fund, £2034 0s 2d; on account of Relief Depot. £lB3 6s Id; printing,, £l2 12s 6d; total; £3658. 7s 6d; balance, £lO3l 18s 7d; Relief Depot, £7ll 3s Id.

Mr Coursey said it was unfair for the Mayor to keep, saying that the public subscriptions', were being subsidised "£l. for £1 liy the ;City cil. He knew of only oiie subsidy of £l6oo,from"the Council. - •- ■ •Mr Andrews, said the? Council had agreed to subsidise up; to £2OOO. He said- .there was. no authority for .the Mayor's statement.

Mr W. H. Winsor said Mr Coursey did right- in bringing up the matter. It was wrong, for the Mayor to. make such statements, which were incorrect. If the Council had to find a subsidy of £1 for £l, it'would amount to a huge',sum. . •Mr Drayton, said the statement- was not fair to the Mayor. The reporters should be asked to delete the references to the matter. . "Why isn't it fair?" asked Mr Winsor. "Yes, why isn't: it? He ought to be here," said Mr Coursey. Mr Andrews, said they should write to the City Council and ask it to state its intentions/

Mr Wihsor said some of the accounts they were passing related to payments to the City. Council. The public should not be,, misled. ' ........ Mr Andrews moved that the City Council be written to and asked-if it intended to grant a subsidy of £1 for £1 on all voluntary.subscriptions. Mr Coursey'seconded, the motion. - In reply to the t ßev...Dr. Kennedy, the ...chairman said' the City, Council had paid £2034 into the funds of the committee. The report was adopted. .Mr H. Worrall said the City Council should be asked outright if it would grant a. £1 for £1 subsidy for all moneys voluntarily subscribed. . The motion was carried.

It was then decided to go into committee with regard to publication of the discussion.

Selection of Men. Sir Andrews reported that 163 men had been notified to appear for relief work, and 135 had accepted it. They had expected about 120. All of the men obviously needed relief, and there were only about ten single men, the others having dependents. ; The action of the Selection Committee was approved. Mr J. W. Beanland reported on the inspection of the work at Corsair Bay and alon 2 the riverbanks. He said something further should be done with the Buxton's corner reserve. _ Mr Leadley said the reserve would have been further improved, but for the cutting down of the Reserves Committee's estimates last year. Mr Beanland said that after the in-, spection it was : his" impression that good work was being done, in view of the class of labour. It was decided to recommend to the Council that the reserve be ploughed Mr Leadley said the Heathcote County Council should do something along its side of the river. That a comprehensive scheme was needed was the contention of Mr Owen; '

It was decided to ask tbc Heathcote" County Council to appoint two representatives to attend the next meeting. Mr Owen reported that £42 8s 6ri had been received at the relief depot in the • last week, as compared with £2l 6s lOd durinc the previous week, makiricr a total of £740 3s 2d since it opened.. The calls on the depot were

as .frequent as ever, and excellent donations of foodstuffs and clothing were still being received. Mrs Teresa Green wag appointed to the committee.

The Registrations. Mr E. G. Queree, unemployment officer in the office of the Labour Department, reported at yesterday's meeting of the Unemployment Committee as follows:

Total unemployed on register, 362; total for previous week, 358 The 362 comprised 198 men with 592 dependents, and 164 single men. During the week 236 men applied for employment, and 180 men were placed in employment, including those selected for relief works.

The total number assisted by the Citizens' Relief Committee since May 26th, when the first batch of men was selected, was 645, with a total of 2125 deDendents.

The number at present working on relief works was 262 as follows: Under Mr Galbraith: Grant's road ... ... ... 23 May's road ... ... ... 14 St Andrew's square ... ..' 6 Innes road ... ... #>t 4 River road ... ... ~' 32 Chelsea street ... ... 9 Eastern terrace ... '.' 19 Ford road ... ... '" 14 Ashgrove terrace ... ... 22 Marshall street 14 157 Under Mr Young;— Reserves and river banks ... 89 Corsair Bay, Lyttelton ... 16 V ,• 262 rvew applications yesterday numbered 39. only wnie of the men being single. One was placed in private work and five men were selected for forestry work at Hanmer Springs.

RIVER BANKS INSPECTED.

THINNING THE WILLOWS

■-' Members of the Works sub-committee of the Citizens' Unemployment Commit-, tqe were: shown over the-work-in hand yesterday morning by Messrs J. Young (Superintendent of Parks and Reserves), and J. Highsted' (foreman for the Eeserves Committee of the City Council). Those present were: Messrs J. W. Beanland, J. E. Hayward, J. S. Barnett, W. E. Leadley, and E. B. Owen. The party motored'first to the Fitzgerald avenue bridgo and. along the Eiver road on the southern bank of the fivor. Here workmen under the committee's relief scheme are thinning out the. willows and other trees to a chain apart. When this work is completed, standard shrubs will be planted at, intervals, and the bank will be sown i!own in grass.. The quince trees along 'ie river from Ward's brewery to Liii./ood avenue, will not be taken out, but will be cut back wherever necessary. Mr Young said that 32 men were being employed- between Fitzgerald avenue and Dudley Creek on the improvement of the river-banks. Twen-ty-eight others were at the Buxton's corner reserve, Burwood, and 32 at Beckenham. Work at Bottle Lake reserve, on which nine men had been employed, was finished, £206 12s 4d having been spent there. The same number of men was employed at the Bromley cemetery. , Large stacks of firewood on the river.bank further f rom . the ' City, on the north- side, marked a scene of industry, where men are busy taking out a large number of old willows of the straight variety, which are to bo replaced by weeping willows. A traction engino has J3§.&&J>£. great assistanceinpulling the old ireos out. by the roots.. Along this part of the riverbank ■ the. : men: aire under the control' of the works department of the City Council. On the-op-posite bank the operation of thinning out the trees has already been carried into effect, .to the vast; improvement of ttie appearance of the locality. Golden willows and birches will further: serve to beautify; the banks of the river, arid add variety to the foliage in The firewood is being sold by the City Council's Eeserves Committee, the proceeds being devoted to the further relief of unemployment.

A New Park? It is.the hope of Mr Young "that the Buxton's road reserve, which has an area of about 28 acres, will be made into a pleasure ground, with one or more football playing areas where not a great amount of levelling is necessary. For the second time this land has been cleared of lupin and broom, and yesterday a large gang of men was at work burning the rubbish. The party discussed the future of the reserve, and it is understood that the Keserves Committee of the City Council is to be asked to.have it .planted in potatoes, preparatory to sowing it down in grass. The soil is sandy and suitable for the growing of "early potatoes. Along the road frontage a belt of poplars has been planted. The.party proceeded next to the bank of the Heathcote river, near Beckenham Park., The old willows have been taken out, and. will be replaced by birch and weeping willows. Six men' were grubbing the area of Beckenham Park adjoining the road, in preparation for a spring sowing of grass. ?6r Young expects to complete the work here this year. Further along an engine was being used to pull out the willows, and men wer« distributed along the riverbank felling the trees, cutting them up into firewood, and burning the rubbish. In answer to Mr Beanland it was stated by Mr Young that there is at least three months' work ahead for the unemployed thinning the trees and replanting along Ihe Avon and the Heathcote.

RELIEF WORKS IN SOUTH.

(press associatioh telegbah.)

DUNEDIN, July 25. It is announced that the Government has taken steps to relieve the unemployment position in Dunedin by providing immediate employment for 150 men. 'The Public Works Department will employ : 120 men on road improvement work, and the Forestry Department will absorb 20 men. In addition to the work provided for unemployed in Dunedin, the Public Works Department will engage men in Invercargill for work in the Southland district.

RELIEF DEPOT.

DONATIONS RECEIVED.

For the aid of the unemployed, the following donations were received by Mrs Herbert yesterday at the relief depot:— v .•■ £ s d H.B.M 0 10 0 Visitor ... .» ...0 5 0 Employees of F. H, Steel ... 1 i 0 Staff Hone,. Gibbons (Bth do- , nation) ..... ~"• 012,8 O.S.C. employees ... ... 0 5 0 7' ■ • '■■ " ■ " ■