Major Works In Hastings

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 124, 11 June 1937, Page 6

Major Works In Hastings

FINANCE QUESTION Cheap Money for Develop mental Purposes THE ONLY MEANS * Commentiag on thQ conference last week with the acting-Minister 'for Labour, tlie Hon. P. C. WebD, regarding the efforts of the Government to find avenues of work for men now on sustenance. the Mayor, Mr. G. A. Maddison, Stated at the meeting of the Hastings Borough Council last evening that it was practically impossible for Hastings alone to provide any . work. It was likely, however, he said, that by collaborating with other local bodies in the district certain works migbt be undertaken, though only in the event of the Government granting considertthle subsdies. A meeting was to b© called to consider this aspect, At the outset Mr Maddison said hat he and Cr. P. M. Cohr attended ihe conference in -Napier and there wero some xoisunderstandings regarding the purpose of the conference. He been informed, through Mr E. L. GoUeai M.P., that the conference was to discoss with the Muiister the desirability of initiating works that would help to absorb the men- now on sustenance in the district. There was oniy meagre information." available regarding the purpose of the meeting. The Minister stated that there were approximately 1000 men on sustenance in the district and the number of registered men in Hastings was ■ approximately 550. The Minister made a very strong appeal for the local bodies to assist the Government in finding some ways of ameliorating the position of tbese men. Mr Maddison said he entirely agreed with the Minister that the position now as xegards these men was demoralising. "My own opinion is that any work that the local bodies can nndertake on their own. account is only affording a temporary xelief to the men," he said. "It is only a palliative and there is no permanency about 6uch works. Men Should Be Trained. ""It has been said that our secondary industri.es oould absorb 10,000 to 12,000 men if they are of the xight type, and I believe tbis is so," he said. "1 feel that it would be far better lOr mc-rej out of the Employment b'und to be &I ent on training out-of-work men m -aur secondary and primary industries."iVlr Maddison went on to say that local bodies for a number of years ha»1 been finding temporary work for men, but once the jobs in hand were eompletcd ihe men went back again on relief. "it has been suggested that Hastings could undei"take work that would absorb thtse men," he said. "I heard it said to-day, in iact, that the council oould, if it liked, find miles of work to be done. liut this is not so. Hastings is a highly developed borough and the works required to be done are very very few. it is mainly a matter of finance. 1 would point out that to absorb just 400 ot tbose 550 men, even with a Government subsidy ot £2 10/a week, the wage-bill the council would have to find would be about £1000 a week. and that does not take into consideration the eost of materials. "Wbere can you employ in Hastings 400 men on a job that would last even six montlis?" be asked. "I do fully appreciato the sincerity of the Minister and the great need for finding work for these men, but I do say that the best and only satisfactory way would be to train these out-of-work men and boys so that they can take a proper place in our secondary and primaiy industri©»." Neeo for Some Relief. To show that there was certainly need ior something to be done, and that the Minister's appeal was timely, Mr Maddison mentioned that in the tbree weeks that the Relief JJepot had been opened some 200 iamities had .received assistance. 'ihe amount involved in tbis work was about £500. It would not be Jong, at tbis rate, before the lund would be bankrupt. Mr Maddison went on Lo say tbat il there were works tbat could be Uon« in Hastings it was iiupossible for them to be done ouir of ordinary revenue. It was not the intention of the council to mcrefise the actuai borough rate this year, so that any works of any magnitude could not be done out of ordinary revenue. It had been suggested' that the council should reso'rt to a loan, but. Iie pointed out tbat reeently Wellington, Dunedin and .Palmerston Nortb City Couneils all nad had their loan proposals turned down by the ratepayers. On that experieuee it woulti mean puttxng iorwavd proposals m Hastings with a risk of a sijnilar iate He undcrstood it had been suggested that the Goverument xuight seriously consider tiid possibility oi providing local bodies with cheap money lor works that had been approved bv the Local Body Loans' lioard. Hhe idea was that the money would be advanced at a very low" rate ot interest, and the charges on the ratepayers would be •ufficiently attractive to encourage a favourable reception to the loan proposals Some Possible Works. lfr Maddison intimated that he proposed to call a meeting next week to tuxxvaar. wholo pOSl-

fcion of U astings and the districts surrounding the boiough for tlie purpose of investigating works that uiight possibly help to absorb tbe unemploycd hi tbis part at the Dominion. • He mentioned 'sucb schemes as the reconstruction of the railway station in Hastings and the irrigation oi the Heretaunga Plains, which work was of a most important uature, lor it was possible tbat if given e/fect to, production migbb be uiore tban doubled. (Jt.her ldeas were the subsidising of secondary mdustries such as fbe asparagus growing and canning. Tlie clearing of the old Ngaruroro riverbed at Havelock North was anotlier possible avenue and would provide a veiy fine waterwav feature i'or tbe district. Tbe Jayiugdown oi a better road to tbe Peak, or the completion oi this road to the very summit, was a further work that could be cohsidered. "AU of these vvorks, however, are a question of money," he said. "It is impossible for Hastings to carry out any comprehensive work on its own account. Any work that can be undertaken m.ust be very substantially subsidised by the Government.."