£12,000 TOO MUCH

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 487, 17 October 1928, Page 1

£12,000 TOO MUCH

RELIEF EXPENDITURE HOSPITAL BOARD APPEALS TO GOVERNMENT Anxiety over the amount of money being spent on outdoor relief was expressed again by the chairman of the Hospital Board, Mr. W. Wallace, yesterday. “We will exceed our estimate by £12,000,” he said. “Unless there is something to relieve the position we are going to be in an awkward position by the end of the year. For the first six months of last year we paid out £15,634; in the past six months the expenditure on relief has been £21,730. Our estimate for the year was £30,000. The public should know the position for we have spent 50 per cent. on unemployment relief.” Mr. E. H. Potter suggested that application should be made to the Minister of Finance for reimbursement of the money spent to relieve unemployment. IN THE 80’s Mr. J. Rowe thought that things were not as bad now as they were in the 80’s when soup kitchens were going. A change of government policy was necessary. “We’re breeding people not to work,” declared Mr. A. M. Laing. He said there was plenty of work in the country for those who wanted it. • Mr. M. J. Coyle: Suppose they can’t milk? Mr. Laing: Well, they can cut gorse or anything. “It’s no use your talking about work in the country; it is not there,” said Mr. M. J. Savage, M.P. “Able-bodied men don’t come for help when they can get work.” Mr. Laing: They can get it at a price, for their keep. Mr. Savage: It is a queer state of affairs if you ask men to work for their L'ood in the 20th century. “There are still people practically starving in Auckland,” he continued. “I won't argue for the adults, but for the children. We should appeal to the public to subscribe to help them. I have talked for hours to Parliament but nothing is done.” • The chairman, Mr. W. Wallace: We are getting to an acute stage and it looks as though something despera -- must be done to arouse the powers that be to a sense of their responsibility. He urged that the relief of unemployment should come out of the consolidated funds. On Mr. Potter’s motion it was decided to ask the Prime Minister to refund the money spent on unemployment in 1927 and 1928, an amount of £IO,OOO or £15,000.

An enthusiastic meeting of 60 or 70 supporters of Mr. Fred Bartram, Labour candidate for Grey Lynn, was held at Grey Lynn last evening. The candidate addressed the gathering and strong working committees were formed to advance Mr. Bartram’s political campaign.