'Orgy of Spending'

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 206, 16 September 1937, Page 4

'Orgy of Spending'

-Press Association.)

WHO IS "WASTING" THE MONEY? Jobs Are Responsibility of Local Bodier REPLY TO MR. LOGAN

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, This Day. Statements made by Mr. F. B. Logan, chairman of the Hawke's Bay County Council, eoncerning payment by the Government of subsidies to local bodies for men on sustenance were replied to by the aeting-Minister of Labour the Hon. P. C. Webb, in an interview* yesterday. Mr. Logan had declared that many works now being uudertaken were an enormous waste of taxpayers' money, and it was a question as to what extent the council should lend itself to "this orgy of spending. ' ' ' ' It seems to me that the chairman of the Hawke's Bay County Council; for political reasons, is determined to object to whatever course is followed by the Government to assist the unemploycd," said Mr. Webb. "First of all he criticises the Government because there are a number of men reniaining on sustenance, and then, when a determined effort is made by the Government to provide full-time employmOnt at standard wages for the men on sustenance he complains. that the money is being wasted. His latest outburst is in reference to the recent effort.s made by the Government, in co-operation with local bodies, to provide full-time eniployment for at least a percentage of men who are in receipt of sustenance. "I might emphasise that the method adopted by the Government is to provide a substaiitial subsidy from tho employment promotion fund, and for local bodies to undertake work oi a useful and worth-whilc charaeter, whicli they could not hope to undertake at the present time if the whole of the money required for the work had to bo provided from local rates. Question oi Responsibfiity. "It will be hoted," Mr. Webb pointed "out, "that the local bodies are the einploying authorities and acccpt responsibility for carrying out the work in an econoinical manner. If Mr. Logan says, therefore, that the ilioney is being wasted, he is really levelling an attaek against the local autliorities that aro co-operating with the Government,. . rather tlian attacking tho Government. He was 110 doubt hoping that this point would not be noticed. "Is Mr. Logan 's criticism justified?' Mr. Webb continued. "I havo no hesitation whatever in saying that, in the maui, there is positively no justification for nssuming that the local authorities are not expcnding^ with a proper sense of responsibility, the money s provided by the Government. "A few days ago I published a statement which set out the classes of work that had been approved for local bodies to carry out under this scheme, and I fail to see how any objection can bo raised to the type of works undertaken. It would rather appear that Mr. Logan is anxious to hide the fact that his council is not showing the same willingness to co-operate as is evidenced by other local bodies. "When I met the , local bodies in Hawke's Bay reeently with the objcct of placing this scheme before them, it is worthy of note that Mr. Logan, representing the Hawke's Bay County Council, complaiued that for some time his council had had boforo the "Government a list of works that could reasonably bo undertaken for the relief of uneinpJoyment, but that the Government had not up to that time answercd the county 's letter and agreed to tlie works being undertaken. When I look* ed into this matter I found that there had been a fairly large list of works put forward by the Hawke's Bay County Council, but the proposals were that these works should be carried out without any cost at all to the council, and this, coming from a local body that without doubt is in a favourabl'e position financially when compaied with other local bodies was not very attractive. Railway and Harbour Works. "Perhaps Mr. Logan, when he suggests that money is being wasted on works that are financed wholly or partly by the Government, is politieally interested in some of the works that the Government is assisting," Mr. Webb concluded. "It might be that he objects to the completion of the East Coast railway, which is a large undertaking carried out by the Government in his area; or will he tell me whether he objects to the assistanco that is being given to the harbour board for the construction of a deep--sea harbour at Napier, tho local rosidents lmving ulicged in support of the project lliat it will save the cxporters of Hawke's Bay, of whorn Mr. Logan is onc, something in tho nalure of £56,000 per unnuin; or perhaps tho extonsive draiuage works that aro being undertaken in Hawke's Bay with substautial subsidies from the Government aro jobs to which Mr. Logan is objecting. if they are not, perhaps he can tell us which jobs he is particularly objecting to, and which local authority is not properly acceptiug its responsibiUtios. and is not spending to the best advantago the money provided by the Government."