UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1921, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

AN AFFORESTATION SCHEME. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, May 5. The Government has started an unemployment camp at Himitangi. A hundred men will go up this week, including many soldiers, and begin the work of afforesting the sand dunes of the West Coast. The camp is nominally under the Forestry Department, but the Defence Department will have control of the gear and equipment, messing arrangements and general supervision. Himitangi is near Foxton, and the district is rolling sand dunes bare of trees. It is possible other camps may be formed on similar lines. A QUALIFYING STATEMENT. Wellington, May 5. Sir Francis Bell definitely contradicts the statement that the Forestry Department is establishing camps for treeplanttag on sand dunes as a means of dealing with unemployment. The Government has been pressed to plant sand dunes-, and has made arrangements for doing the work, which will provide employment for a few men. The Forestry Department will, if necessary employ additional labor on the sand and other tree-planting stations, arid has arranged with' the Defence Department to supply tents, which will provide additional accommodation, if such is required. It is possible that public works, apart from forestry, will absorb all the labor available, and there is no intention of allowing forestry to compete with public works, which will have the first call on labor.

All Government information is that there is nothing abnormal in unemployment for this season o*l' the year, though there is a slight decrease.