THE £2,000 GRANTS

Evening Star, Issue 20056, 22 December 1928, Page 3

THE £2,000 GRANTS

CLAIMS OF THE CITIES HOT A PRECEDENT [I'KOM OUR rABUAMJSKTART Ri:rnCTEß.] WELLINGTON, December 21. When Christchurch city received a prompt allocation of £2,0(30 from the Government for the purposes of the relief of unemployment before Christmas similar allocations were made by way of subsidy to Wellington, Dunedin, and Auckland. The Christchurch £2,000 being a grant, the other cities raised the question of getting a similar benefit, instead of having to raise money which would be subsidised to the extent of £2,000. Sir Joseph Ward explained to-day that it has been decided to make t—is concession to them. The original payment to Christchurch had been inadvertently represented as a grant, the whole matter having been soincwnr.t hurried owing to the urgency .if the position; and as no attempt bad been made by the Government to alter this position it was decided, in fairness to the other cities, to give them the same consideration.

“ But the grant system will not be continued,” added the Erime Minister. “Everything else must be on the subsidy basis. We are finding a tremendous lot of money ourselves for employment on public works at standard rates.”