Work for 1,000 Men

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 724, 25 July 1929, Page 6

Work for 1,000 Men

AVONDALE SCHEME OUTLINED Road Across Whau to Te Atatu PROPOSAL BEFORE PRIME MINISTER A COMPREHENSIVE scheme for immediate unemployment relief on a large scale has been placed before the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, by Mr. David B. Russell, of Avondale. It consists of two proposals, each of which he claims would absorb 500 men and provide work for considerable periods. Mr. Russell has submitted, also, a method of financing the projects, based on the issue of premium bonds. He urges that the Government should legalise this without delay.

The scheme advanced by Mr. Russell consists of important and selfcontained work of a highly useful nature preliminary to the Whau Canal proposal:— In submitting it to the Prime Minister, he forwarded the following telegram : —■ Can form strong syndicate to construct Whau Canal, employing 1,000 men four years continually, only condition that you and Government agree and approve of premium bond issue as financial basis. Sir Joseph Ward’s reply was: In reply to your proposals re Whau Canal, issue of premium bonds contrary to provision of Gaming Act, therefore illegal; consequently regret unable give matter favourable consideration. in return, Mr. Russell forwarded the following telegram yesterday: If in sympathy with premium bond system, and desire to help unemployed, would you cause clause to be inserted in Gaming Bill to legalise premium bond issue? Auckland and Northern Permanent Co-operative Building Associations are decidedly premium bond systems, and are legalised? Why not the Whau Canal project to help the needy in Auckland? If sanctioned, would suggest as guarantee for your Government that the Public Trustee be appointed as trustee for the whole issue. If you are favourable, will submit small scheme employing 500 men immediately. MERGING OF INTERESTS Explaining his first proposal, Mr. Russell, an engineer of wide experisays that three propositions have been before the public for many years—the building of a new bridge over the Whau River, on the Great North Road; the preparation of a reserve for Avondale at the foot of Rosebank Road; and the construction of a roadway from Pollen's Point to Te Atatu. He suggests that the Government insert this session a clause in the Gaming Act, legalising premium bonds. “If premium bonds are illegal, the Auckland and Northern Permanent Co-operative Building Associations cannot be legal,” he says, in referring to the Prime Minister’s telegram. “If they have been legalised, why not legalise a worthy cause to help the needy of Auckland immediately?” The whole scheme, he considers, could be carried out in four years, at a cost of £650,000. Utilising the premium bond system, the system would consist of securing the Government’s £ for £ subsidy on a City Council vote of £25,000. That would produce £50,000, to which could be added the sum of £25,000 which, Mr. Russell understands, the Hospital Board intends to spend this year in charitable aid. In addition, there would be included £12,000, or less, being tile cost of the Whau Bridge, to be borne by the Highways Board and the local bodies concerned. Mr. Russell claims that one year’s work for 500 men can be

provided for £120,000, the difference between that sum and the total of the preceding amounts being made up by the selling of premium bonds to the public. He suggests, also, that to satisfy the Government, premium bonds should be issued on the City Council’s share, the Government subsidy, the Highways Board, and the local bodies’ contribution. Moreover, the whole could be guaranteed by the appointment of the Public Trustee as trustee for the enterprise. BENEFIT TO DISTRICTS “With the premium bonds issued, another year’s work will go ahead to complete the whole comprehensive scheme of the Whau Canal,” he says. “For the present, Avondale and Te Atatu would have the benefit of the work already done.” The details of Mr. Russell’s scheme are: (1) The preparation of recreation grounds at the foot of Rosebank Road. Avondale is without suitable grounds, and this area has been lying idle for many years. A bitumen road 2£ miles in length leads to the reserve, and was built at a cost of £IO,OOO. The inner side of this peninsula-like area would be left untouched save for the preparation of an A.A.A. parking area and the encouragement of trees. It is a natural grandstand. (2) In making the playing areas, the spoil would be taken and used in the formation of a stop-bank across the mouth of the Whau estuarj r to Te Atatu, to compound the waters of the river for all time and give a full regatta course of five miles at all tides. Spoil from the Te Atatu end would complete the bank, in the centre of which would be constructed a provisional spillway. When the canal had been completed that would be replaced by a proper lock. (3) The building of a new bridge over the Whau on the Great North Road. AIRPORT SUGGESTION Mr. Russell’s second proposal has been submitted by him to Mr. G. W. Hutchison, who is working on the proposal for an Auckland airport. Alongside, the proposed recreation area for Avondale is a shell and sand island of 70 acres which is now owned by the City Council, as Avondale is -included in the city area. With the stoppage of the intervening channel and the construction of an inexpensive retaining-wall, Mr. Russell considers that there is enough spoil available to extend the island to 150 acres, giving a margin of 10 acres over the area said to be required for a goodsized airport. “If this is taken up it is practically a pick-and-shovel proposition,” declares Mr. Russell. “The City Council could employ right away easily another 500 men, and the only skilled labour required would be a few foremen to oversee the building of the retainingwall.” The Works Committee of the City Council has been invited to investigate this scheme. “My opinion is and always has been that this island could not be excelled as an airplane or seaplane base and in time it would prove a gold mine to the City Council,” adds Mr. Russell.