RELIEF WORK SUBSIDY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 717, 17 July 1929, Page 11

RELIEF WORK SUBSIDY

DISAPPOINTMENT CAUSED BY DECISION MR. BAILDON’S PLANS Although disappointed with the decision of the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, that the Government offer of a £25,000 subsidy to the four principal centres for unemployment relief will be available only on wage payments, the Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, said this morning that he had never felt confident that the subsidy would be extended to other expenditure in connection with relief schemes

“One thing is satisfactory,” remarked Mr. Baildon, ‘‘and that is, Sir Joseph and people who have criticised the City Council will now know that we have never turned down the offer as has been freely suggested here and in Wellington.” The Mayor said Auckland was as keen as the other cities to make use of the £25,000 if it could be obtained under reasonable conditions. “I will call the council together within the next week or so and put the whole position before the councillors,” Mr. Baildon said. It had been suggested at the council meeting last Thursday that a meeting should be convened for tomorrow evening, but the Mayor pointed out that the i Prime Minister’s decision only being made last evening, there was no time to prepare for tomorrow. On his recent visit to Wellington Mr. Baildon found that city had no difficulty in accepting the subsidy offer, because work was proceeding on the formation of the municipal air port at Lyall Bay, and the greater part of its cost involved wages expenditure. A large part of the undertaking consisted of the levelling of sand hills which was being done by labourers with shovels and barrows. In Auckland the position was different. The scheme proposed by Mr. J. S. Fletcher, M.P., would necessitate a great deal of blasting and this was really skilled work. Furthermore, the construction of the waterfront road to St. Heliers Bay would absorb a large portion of the total outlay in road metal and the acquiry of land. To obtain the full £25,000 the council would have to find about £60,000, said Mr. Baildon. This meant a scheme involving £55,000. The acting-city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, has formulated several small projects round the city costing in all £26,593, and carrying an estimated subsidy of £6,954. Mr. Baildon sees no reason why these should not be •put in hand almost at once, if no larger scheme capable of earning the whole £25,000 can be found by the council.