NOTHING BEING DONE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 168, 6 October 1927, Page 14

NOTHING BEING DONE

MT. ALBERT AND UNEMPLOYED POSITION QUESTIONS FOR THE MAYOR rpHE Mount Albert Borough *■ Council stands alone as the only civic body In the Auckland province which has not made any attempt to alleviate the unemployed position. Thin statement Is made in a letter to the Editor of THE SUN by Mr. G. Campbell, of Mount Albert. He says that the civic bodies of the Auckland isthmus are to be congratulated on the response they have made to ease the unemployment position in the city. After pointing out that Mount Albert stands alone in not assisting to alleviate the position lie adds that it has been admitted by the Mayor of the borough, that no fewer than 137 employees on borough works have been dismissed during the past few weeks. Mr. Campbell states that collection lists to provide work for our unfortunate fellow citizens are being circulated in the district, and from the look of those lists Mount Albert residents are to be congratulated for their liberal response. « Mr. Campbell wishes to ask the Mayor of Mount Albert the following questions: 1. Is he aware that all the money which is being collected in Mount Albert is being subsidised and will be spent on recreation reserves in the Auckland city area? 2. Is he aware that the children of the local schools have made handsome donations to the relief funds, and they have been waiting for the past ten years for playing areas for themselves? 3. Is he aware that there is a reserve of 271 acres in his charge overgrown with gorse and other noxious weeds, the clearing of which would give useful and necessary work to a large number of the ratepayers who help to pay his honorarium? 4. Does he intend to start a local fund to ease the unemployment among Mount Albert residents? 5. Does he forget that he gave an election pledge over five years ago. and another at the last election that he would commence the laying out of the Momingslde recreation reserve “immediately”? (. If he refuses will he give permission for the Mount Albert and the Morningslde Ratepayers' Associations to inaugurate a local collection with the object of laying out local reserves, and will he take the responsibility of subsidising such collection for this very urgent purpose? T. In the event of the Mayor again procrastinating, will any of his colleagues on the Mount Albert Borough Council give their assistance? “NOT PHILANTROPHIC” NEWMARKET COUNCIL AND UNEMPLOYMENT WORK ON CARLTON GORE RD. **We are not a philanthropic body,” declared Cr. G. E. Smerdon at a meeting: of the Newmarket Borough Council last evening, when the question of unemployment relief work was under discussion. It was contended that work of such magnitude as the Carlton Gore Road scheme was not sufficiently urgent to necessitate the spending of several hundred pounds out of the general account in order to give employment to certain ratepayers of the borough. The Mayor, Mr. S. Donaldson, stated that it was expected that an unemployment loan for the work would be forthcoming from the Government. In the meantime money was being spent and would have to-be taken out of the loan when it was granted. The necessary authority for this is given in the Unemployment Act, 1926. At present relief work is being carried out in Carlton Gore Road and Sarawai Street, about 20 men being employed.