VALUABLE WORK

Hokitika Guardian, 1 September 1931, Page 6

VALUABLE WORK

UNDER NO. 5 SCHEME. HIGH SCHOOL BOARD’S TRIBUTE. In the earlier stages of the Unemployment Board’s No. 5 Scheme, the principal concern of the local bodies was. to provide immediate work for the increasing thousands of unemployed, with the result that in some instances the work .done, though ful, was not particularly essential. Because of this, the Board and the local bodies were subjected. to criticism,' the burden of the complaints : being 1 that the unemployment funds were being wasted on such “futile” work as grass chipping. There were, unfiortunjately, a large number of workless.mui who were physically.finable to perform more strenuous tasks, and a.s work had .to oe found for them the Board and the local bodies did not regard the expenditure iu this direction as altogether “wasted.” But since those days the workers under this scheme have demonstrated their ability to per.fami the highest class of essential work—productive or in connection with the creation of or improvements to civic attractions. Evidence of this assertion is supplied in communications from the Hokianga Unemployment Committee, the Manawatu Unemployment Committee, the Foxton Unemployed, the Director ot Education, the Canterbury Education Board, the Ashburton County Council, His Worship the Mayor of Thames, the Otalmhu Borough Council, the Manawatu Drainage Board and others. ! A further striking tribute is contained in the following letter, which should put an end for all time to the tendency to decry the utility of the No. 5 Scheme.' Tlie letter is from the Secretary of the Hutt Valley High School, and is dated, 19th August:— “At a meeting of the Hutt Valley High School on 17th instant, I was instructed to express our gratitude. to your Board for permitting work to be done on the High Schools grounds under the No.' 5 Scheme. The work that the uiiempldyed /Have ’ d"ne here could not possibly have been financed by this Board for many years to come. It has been done thoroughly well, and, in many ways, better tlv’n we. could have afforded to have it done by any private contractor. . . . Both the High School Board and. 1 think, the men themselves fell that it was valuable work.”