RELIEF SUPPLIES

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 125, 24 February 1928, Page 8

RELIEF SUPPLIES

SHOULD TENDERS BE CALLED? The practice of the Social Welfare Committee in arranging for the supply of groceries, provisions, etc., for rebel cases without getting tenders was commented upon at the meeting of the Hospital Board yesterday. Mr. W. Appleton asked if arrangements had been made for one firm to supply the requirements of the Social Welfare Committee without tenders being called. It was, he said, the policy of the board to call for tenders for supplies, but he understood that tenders in this instance had not been tailed for. It was a matter which was attracting considerable interest in the city, and was being commented upon, Mr. G. Pctherick, chairman of the committee, said that for a number of years the committee had a store of its own from which supplies were issued. At that time a blanket would have covered the area in which the recipients of relief lived. As the town grew the people moved out, and they were faced with the position of bringing people in from Island Bay, Lyall . Bay, Miramar, etc., to get their supplies. It waS very hard on those who had to journey all that distance to get bread. The store was done away with and arrangements entered into for the groceries, etc., to be supplied without tendering. Those people who were making the most noise about it were willing to come m under those conditions. The committee had acted with the knowledge that they had a duty to those in need and also to those who found the money. Cases had been deal with on their merits. Owing to certain complaints thev made arrangements with a certain co-operative concern to supply goods in the districts where they had branches. Mr. McCurdv said that at one time lower prices were charged by certain suppliers to the public than were charged to the social welfare eases. Mr. F. Bennett defended the action of the committee in the special circumstances, and said if a vote of censure was passed on the committee he would resign. Mr. Appleton replied that he had not suggested that the committee should be censured, for he believed they had acted in the best interests of all concerned. All he wished to do uas to register his protest against any supplies'being obtained without public tender. . Mr. Petherick: We acted with tlie best object in view, ami I don’t think the committee has vety much to regret. The matter was not discussed further.