RATIONING WORK

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 275, 15 July 1932, Page 5

RATIONING WORK

COUNCIL DEGISION REGULAR MEMBERS OUTSIDE STAFF TO WORK FULL TIME LOAN BALANCES AVAILABL$ When the Works Gommittee of the Rotorua Borough Council consider'ed its estimates for the year it caine jtq the conclusion that the limited fupds « at its disposal necessitated economies in administration. In reviewing the wages sheet of the outside stalf, if came to the conclusion that, in lieu of dispensing with their services a'ltpgethqr, several members of ihe permanent staff shoulcl be employed for three weeks only in every four. The ; council, with reluctanee, agrged ;tp this proposal and the hours of worjk were rationed accordingly. At a later stage, however, the Mayor, Mr. T. Jackson, who had been delving into the question, found thatr tliat there were some unexpendech-"'^"^ loan balances which might profitably be used to keep these men on fulltime employment. He placed fhe posi-_ tion hefore the council -at its last _ meeting in June when it was , decided that the works and finance eommittees, ' acting in co-operation, shoulcl thoroughly investigate the possibility of utilising these funds to keep the staff employed. As a result of this meeting a joint report was .presented to the meeting of the 'council held last nighf. Money Available It was found that of ihe £30,00,0 and £3000 loans a halance of £161 14s ld was available for streets and £6l Is 6d for footpaths . Of t)ie £65(10 loan, £178 4s and £118 16s ' 3d, an,(| of the £10,700 loan, £358 10s 7d and £821, making a total of £1699 6s 3d. Ufis amount, less £621 Is lOd expended np to May 30, left a balance of £1078 4s 7d. Of these amounts it was estimated that the cost of labour would absorb: Streets' loan, £30; footpaths'' loan, £90; abattoir loan (transferred jto lake front), £200; cemetery account, £6Q, making a total of £380. The anaount ** available for footpaths from the £10,700 loan has not been included. • The committee recommended that if the amount above mentioned could be made aviailahle to tlie works committee, nine men pn the regular staff he retained in full-time employment. The recommendations of the joint eommittees were agrepd to hnanimously without discussion.