CITY COUNCIL

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20488, 5 March 1932, Page 15

CITY COUNCIL

WAGES. THE FINANCIAL BACKING. LOAN AND SUBSIDIES. [From Our Parliamentary Reporteb.J WELLINGTON, March -4. The maintenance of standard rata® of pay for employees of the Christ, church City Council was again ro* ferred to in the House of Representatives this afternoon, when Mr H. Holland (C., Chrf§tchurch North), referred to Mr D. „G. Sullivan's brush with the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon* G. W. Forbes) on the previous evening. "The member for Avon make a pardonable boast that the Christchurch City Council has maintained the rata of 15s 4d a day for its employees and at the same time has reduced rates," he said. "All that is perfectly true, but the member, probably by accident,; forgot to mention one significant fact. That is, that the Council borrowed £39,500, and also received a subsidy from the Unemployment Board of approximately £40,000, altogether representing about £BO,OOO, which, is th« amount usually spent in the maintenance of roads, gardens, and so on in Christchurch. So if the City Council bad gone in for a larger loan ther® might not have been any rates for the citizens to pay at all. We could hav« wined them all off. Mr Sullivan: Will you allow me—» Mr Holland: It is easy for the Coua» cil to do this in these circumstances. Mr Sullivan: Just a minute. W« are paying that loan off out of revenue. Mr Holland: I want to gel; on. Labour members: Ah ha! That'® different!