SCHEME LAUNCHED

Hokitika Guardian, 2 May 1932, Page 6

SCHEME LAUNCHED

HELPING UNEMPLOYED IN THE.

NORTH

MATAKOHE, April 29.

Ten acres and a cow, a little home and £1 a week. This is the scheme for helping unemployed married men a,nd their families which was launched by Mr Coates on the platform during the election campaign last year. Yesterday at Aruaua, in Otamatea County, North Auckland, it was seen that a start had been made to bring the scheme into operation, and already four families are comfortably settled on land which has- been given to them by farmers round the district. On the face of it, the scheme -hasgreat possibilities. Then acres are handed over by the farmer to an unemployed man free for five years. *or the unemployed there is no outlay. A shack is there for them. Land and homestead are theirs. They can do just as they like. The cow they are given will provide them with milk and butter. They can borrow the farmer’s plough and horses and cultivate part of their section for vegetable growing. In return they will do work for the farmer. The Unemployed Board will pay them £1 a week, and that little bit will keep them going. At the end of five years the worker has the eight to bnv his lot outright. “What could be better than this?” asked one man. “Here I am, getting my £1 a week, a good little home, good food cheap, and no rent to pay. In town on .relief works I was getting ; 37s Gd a week for four day’s work and one week off in four. How could yon ; make a go of that?” i . Another advantage of the scheme is that an unemployed man while work;i ing his own lot may accept work I from farmers of the district. Already | there is a list of close on 300 eager to start life under the northern i scheme.