INTEREST ON LOANS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 71, 20 September 1930, Page 8

INTEREST ON LOANS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—As an unemployed citizen (not a Communist) the remarks of the Mayor, at the meeting of citizens at the Town Hall, are rather puzzling. He states that the idea of calling the meeting was to overcome the difficulty during the next two or three months, until the Government scheme came into effect. He also stated that the-City Council had £18,000 for the Rydney-Bowen street job, but there were three months before a pick could be put on to the job. What I cannot understand is, that if this job cannot be started for three months, and it will take three months before the Government scheme comes into effect, why on earth wait for the Sydney-Bowen street job? Why not use the £18,000 on something else? It is a farce to appeal for £1000 from the citizens of Wellington, when such facts as these are staring them in the face. The outcome of this meeting means that, after calling daily at the Labour Exchange for three months already, I have no hope of getting work until another three months. The situation of poverty in Wellington is bad. Yesterday I went* to the Social Welfare Committee, arriving there at 2 p.m. It was not until 5 p.m. that I was able td get into the office to see the committee and apply for help. When I left there were still about SO people, mostly women, who had been waiting since 2 p.m. I appeal on behalf of those people that the Mayor urge the City Council to use that £40,000 it now has in hand, and so overcome the problem until the Government steps in.—l am, etc., JUSTICE. 17th September. [We think it has been made clear that the money raised for the Sydney-Bowen street work cannot legally be applied to other purposes. Such a course would be dangerous, as liable to lead to serious abuse. The only alternative is to raise further funds, as the council is doing, for other works, and to supplement these by a public appeal.—Ed.]