RELIEF WORKS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20496, 15 March 1932, Page 13

RELIEF WORKS.

|jjjoME FOR EXPERT I examination.

yfcM BODIES COMBINE. '■

\ jgfHNR'AI- COMMITTEE SET

for the co ordination of rc--0 works bv a committee representing gjjtke local bodies in the Christchurch gf |w.politu)i are;., and for their exjgjjation by an expert Technical ComafrM. of engineers was approved by a of «!«■ iij 1 ><■ rs of Parliament nl delegates from local bodies and UfjgH and professional organisations ggy, wa « held a! the City Council ftatibfre yesterday afternoon. The «a.s .all.d l»v the Chmtfj.jrth branch ol' the Town Planning juf&pte of New Zealand. The value 4 mA a committee for the examinaf f national and provincial Schemes, question of access to the sea, m espkuitc'l by more than one etafcreßCC will prove a valuable preIpjgyy to the discussion on the fohnaIJUj #f a Metropolitan Board of Works tijels i* to take place shortly. Jfc duty of the Technical Committee *3l 1» to view tho metropolitan area yjdiwt regard to local boundaries, and a report recommending works offMe for unemployment relief. The by whom tho works recomgaki aw to be undertaken will bo idlaitely outside the scope of tho fMixiatl Committee. It will confine fa# the question whother works pqpuyf >fo of sound economic value If community. In short, from its jt *will be an economy comHgtim of » voluntary nature whose "irafirii! bo to report upon somejaßW regard to which it lias in--kliSt' k*»«^edge. TBrttcttw for Katepayers. that it is in the intertk« community that an authoriqision should be expressed on iftfttpMed relief works and those of iMft'tfOiflOtie value definitely disftVOßt of works of value jHi eommosity," stated the i ft preliminary circular, fj ffy thus that ratepayers and topeyai tan be protected from un- . **M irrtfflfr*"" l ; and the men employed lm tto mtirfaction of the knowledge i _ perform is worthy fetrrtn It is confidently i "l Mtllttt )gF WBtilg 33 a single unit in ; *»p*Kj6.it» report the Techni|:dßb accomplish a work i' #i#i|i|P| definite sorting out proposals." delegates were presCouncil: Messrs J. T. Baker, J. S. BarMf&HMie, G. T. Thurston; Christ- , liM||[:Biivployment Committee: Mr. f UUWpinri; lleatbcote County Coun- * r iH W. Scarff, A. G. Williams, LX JLJhAuliffe (clerk); Waimairi VHMApueil: Messrs C. E. Cross, W. *)|§gP* (chairman), G. S. Cowper j (Mm Town Planning Institute: Mr I>r. T. Fletcher Telford, 9l|jj|9 A. B. Galbraith, A. 11. Bridge; QAfelbireh Domains Board: Messrs 11. Bfij' (chairman), and James Young Canterbury Education ffip-Mr B. It. Evison; Waimakariri MKtfmt: Messrs A. Manhire, H. tpfpßit (engineer); Sumner Borough Wjk, Messrs W. 11. Nicholson 9fanr)f £, F. Menzies (clerk); SumjpfjM (Scenic Reserve Board: Messrs WW Jarnleson, w. Stewart (chair- | && Suunit Road Public Trust: Mr Now Zealand Institute of "MRMt* (Canterbury branch): Mr WHit, Bart; New Zealand Society of -jiHtagtgeers: Mr F. W. Freeman; .flMpiwch Drainage Board: Mr J. ' Hfia«tf4Miae*r); Hals well County I'twr J. Mackenzie (clerk); and IT. Hewke, M.P. (Kaiapoi). ibyor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), P&ltd, said tbat similar notion iwijr been taken ir. Wellington; It been decided to accept IMb the scheme. The) aim was BV- co-ordination between local Jy TUaalieing tho metropolitan I ft tingle unit, and to sot up f, (organisation as would ensure (jf Wlief works undertaken were k Mel economic benefit of the Utore was a feeling that some , ifoiit Alreadv done had not been It mefol. Thus it was hoped to these works in future would It a valuable ecorfbmic comlocal Body Eugtneors. Committee which it iMd to establish would include RNttr* attached to the different SkUtW. They would consider anv lb which were referred to them eonimittae. It was not 4 interfere in any way with (fc €tt local bodies, but nierelv to |9crt recommendations to them. M thfl necessity foi having the («ke possible, an-l Raid that if W4 lini'c the combined cngineei - |B *f, local bodies concentrated Wttbleni of each proposed relief bodies themselves should uubenefit. |HHNttran moved this motion: — BBBBw step* be taken to set up u HHHPO.- committee comprising meinKlWKjtf Parliament for the metropolimipricti of Christchurch, and reHHHHMIres of the local governing professional orgato prepare a comprehensive development of a pcrEl*St«nd economic character, which profitably within in relief of uneniployIs seconded by Mr W. (lleathcote County liat lccal bodies could jllcctively than they lly. They could not rm the mnmittee. uition Wanted. lOltion (Mayor of Sumshouid strictly define committee. It should ny powe;s beyond the advice. If the priri.l ion was carried out, ould uitiiuately bo ot (Summit Road Trust) committee might have tulating effort and giv--1 and useful work. Ho olytion. e (Wci'imkarirl River • it might b$ difficult to finance useful works in their territories.

Mr C. E. Cross (Waimairi County Council) emphasised that tho formation of tho committee was deiigncd for the assistance of the Unemployment Board. It was not for them to consider questions of finance. In answer to a question, the Mayor said that the intention was for the lechnical Committee to consider tho schedule of works proposed by any local body, and to decide whether they would make for the economic development or the district. There would be no undue interference with local bodies for the members of the committee would bo representative of tho local bodies He suggested that a very much wider purpose could bo served by tho comnntteo if it was allowed not only to report on schemes submitted to it but to make suggestions itself for .the 'local bodies to carry out. "Too Many Committees." Mr E. 11. Andrews (Christchurch Unemployment Committee) stated his concern at tho multiplicity of committees set up to deal with unemployment. One item of relief work that was much criticised was tho chipping of streets but that was necessary work and was' done by the City before tho days of unemployment. He submitted that not much of the work authorised by the Citizens' Unemployment Committeo had been wasteful.. If provincial or national works were being considered, then certainly such a Technical Committee would be of great valuo. Ho emphasised this aspect of tho situation. Mr Manhiro aslced if tho committee would bo recognised by the Unemplovtnenfc Board. Mr Sullivan replied that au organisution representing local bodios would be taken notice of and that .from his experience the Unemployment Board would be only too glad to have its suggestions. He was informed by Mr A. R. Galbraith that tho Minister in Charge of Unemployment (the Rt. Hon. J, G, Coates) and Mr F. w Furkort, of the Public Works Depart. ""tu-V T defi ?. ltel y approved the scheme. Mi 11. Kitson (Christchurch Domains Board) thought that if the committeo could not interfere it would be useless, while if it did interfere there would 50 aroiv. Ho thought the whole scheme could be undertaken by three or four engineers, and not by a lot of amateurs. Mr J. W. Beanland (Christchurch City Council) said lie had always believed that there was not as much in town-planning as some people believed. He thought that the committee should recommend big works to absorb great numbers of the unemployed, and that it should not waste its time on small schemes. Provincial Schemes. Speaking as vice-president of the Town Planning Institute, Mr A. R. Galbraith oxplained tho proposal in detail emphasising that the Technical Committee would act only in an advisory capacity. Ho commended especially the value of such a committee in tho examination of important national or provincial schemes. After further discussion of details of the scheme the motion was carried without dissent. The following General Committee wa3 set up:— The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), Messrs H. Holland, M.P., 11. T. Armstrong, M.P., E. J. Howard, M.P., H. 8. S. Kyle, M.P., J. McCombs, M.P:, R. W. Jlawke, M.P., the District Engineer Works Department), the chairman, (Citizens' Unemployment Committee), the local officer (Forestry Department), the engineer (Lake Coleridge electric power supply), Mr F. W. Freeman (representing the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers), and one representative from each of the following bodies: Christchurch City Council, Sumner Borough Council, New Brighton Borough .Council, Lyttelton Borough Council, Riccarton Borough Council, Waimairi County Council, Hcathcote County Cpuncil, Halswell County Council, Paparua County Couseil, Mount Herbert County Council, N<#rth Canterbury Hospital Board, Christchurch Tramway Board, Christchurch Drainage Board, Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, New Zealand Institute of Architects (Christchurch branch), New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (Christchurch branch), Waimakariri River Trust, Christchurch Domains Board, Town Planning Institute of New Zealand (Christchurch branch), Summit Road Scenic Reserve. Board, Port Hills-Akaroa Summit Road Public Trust, Canterbury Farmers' Union, Canterbury Automobile Association, North Canterbury Education Board, and Canterbury Progross League. The committee was given power to add. (An obvious criticism of the General Committee is the size of its membership, said the Institute in a statement. It is pointed out, however, that the interests involved arc many and varied,, and for the committee to bo effective I it must be fully representative. Its! chief function will be the appointment and control of the operations of the proposed Technical Committee.) The Technical Committee was then set up as follows: An engineer from each' local authority; The District Public Works Engineer; Two representatives of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers. Tho committeo was given power to add. Mr. A. H. Bridge was appointed sec- j retary. j It was left to the secretary to arrange! for a meeting as soon as possible. | It was decided that tho committee should meet at nights. CITY COUNCIL WORKS. In its report to last night's meeting of the City Council regarding unemployment, the Water Supply and Works Committee stated that the allocation from the Labour Department for the relief of unemployment ucder the Board's No. 5 Scheme i'or tho past two weeks was £I2OO and £I3OO lcspectivoly, and these sums had been sufficient to keep all men employed. The amount spent to date during the current financial year on the relief of unemployment was as follows: — £ s. d. From amount provided on - Estimates •• 14,306 14 3 From Relief 'of Unemployment Loan .. 26,068 15 10 The sum of £20J,392 3s lOd had been spent from the Roading Loan of £220,000. The report was adopted.