“AT ITS WITS’ END”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 717, 17 July 1929, Page 7

“AT ITS WITS’ END”

HOSPITAL BOARD AND UNEMPLOYMENT CHAIRMAN REVIEWS POSITION "The committee is at its wits’ end t to know what to do. At its last meeting. it sat from 11 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. ; 1 listening to stories of distress. The . position is degrading, and demoraJis- | ing. and we are only trifling With the | ; problem.” Thus Mr. W. Wallace, chairman of ' the Auckland Hospital Board, summed up the present unemployment outlook, placed before members at yesterday’s j meeting. Discussion followed the receipt of a telegram from the Prime Minister, Sir* Joseph Ward, questioning the wisdom j of a reduction of the board’s levy on local bodies in view of the situation, j ' A further telegram from Sir Joseph j announced that the Forestry Depart- j , ment could give work to 10 men for j five weeks, and 50 men for two months. | "Work for GO men out of 1.000.” said Mr. Wallace. "It's only trifling with ] the problem.” In answer to Sir Joseph's telegram. ! ho said that the board's relief expenditure had increased from A! IS.OOO to. £45,000 during the past three years., and it was anticipated that relief ; would cost the board over £50,000 j this year. In 1926 the board had a I credit balance of £IO,OOO. and the j levy was .25d in the £. realising £ 61,442. For the year 1928-29 the credit balance had been converted into a debit balance of £15,253, and the levy of .30d in the £ produced £95,429. The levy had been reduced to .2Sd for 1929-30. and would realise £96.061. Whereas in 1925-29 local bodies had been called upon to pay about £34.000 more than in 1926-27, the reduction

in the l%vy this year would mean only a decline of £2.36S in local body payments. on the other hand, the Government would benefit to the extent of £6,837 through the decreased levy, because its subsidy was based on a sliding scale, and was not £ for £. At March 31. 1928. the total number of unemployed in New Zealand was 3.G70. persons affected numbering 10.G95. In Auckland alone there wer« 1.4G0 unemployed, and 4.534 persons affected. Mr. M J. Savage. M.l\. said the House was doing nothing but talk. While it was going on. people wer«lacking food. lie had brought up the question in the House, and had referred to the state of affairs, but the stream of talk went on as if nothing had happened, and as if no such place as Auckland existed. “The position is enough to mak*» ones blood boil.” he said. “1 savin the papers last night that a justice of the peace told a man who was arrested at Hamilton that there waplenty of work if he liked to look for it. I wish the justice bad been looking for it. It seems to me that we are manufacturing criminals. "This country is too good to bmessed about by a set of humbugs.” he concluded. On the motion of the Rev W. « Wood, seconded by Mr. W. K. Hewitt, it was decided to reply to the Prime Minister reaffirming the contention than the problem was a national one.