THE UNEMPLOYED.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1922, Page 5

THE UNEMPLOYED.

GOOD WORK; WILLING WORKERS. . WHAT THE MEN ARE DOING.. A .tour round the various works providing relief for’the unemployed in New Plymouth was made yesterday by a Daily News reporter. On all the jobs the men were hard at work, and the foremen expressed themselves as satisfied with the way the men were toiling. All the works are making some permanent improvement in the amenities of the town, and while perhaps none of them might really be termed jobs of urgent necessity, they are important works and their effect will be felt in the very near future. The cutting at the top of Victoria Road was the first place visited, and here five men, with three drays and two drivers from the borough, are engaged in widening the cutting. Already a good portion of the bank on the righthand side going-up has been removed, the spoil being dumped in the Gilbert I Street crossing. The wider cutting will make traffic ’at this spot more easy, while it also fprnjshes the material for doing away with the gully in Gilbert Street.

IMPROVING PUKEKURA PARK. . At Pukekura Park work has been found for the last three weeks for about eight unemployed, under the supervision of the overseer of the park, Mr. Revell. That the men have not been idle is evidenced from the amount of work already done. The first job undertaken was thecleaning out of the main lake, and it is now free from the objectionable weeds which for so long marred its beauty. The reflection on the waters as viewed from the second bridge yesterday was very striking. Near the head of the lake the totara plantation has been cleared of weeds and undergrowth, and now the men are engaged on the formation of a fernery to the left of the racecourse walk. Banks have been cleared and stumps removed, and the side of the hill is being fenced in preparatory to putting in the ferns. As viewed from the path the ferns will gradually rise from the smaller varieties to the tall tree ferns further back from the top of the banks. The fence is but a temporary structure to protect the plants until they have become established, when the fernery will be thrown open to the public. Further round a new path has been macle to the rhododendron dell, which has been cleared of undergrowth. The lily pond has also been cleared out and got ready for several varieties of these picturesque flowers. Around the sports ground, too, the banks have been cleaned up, and during the coming season the whole qf the park should present a very attractive picture.

WORK AT WESTERN PARK. I The reporter next visited Western I Park, where the largest body of men is being employed. Coming up Morley Street, the bank on the right-hand side ,of the road just below the bottom en- • trance to the park is being cleared of i the unsightly gorse which at present - covers it. Jhirther up. the bank above . the stone wall has already been cleared and battered, and is now ready for the black soil with which it is to be dtessed. With flowers and shrubs this as- ’ perl: of the park should in time be a I very pretty one. In the park itself the hank has been cut away at the southwestern corner, and the men are now working on the southern bank. These banks are to be terraced, and this will add considerably to the numbers who will be able to see sports fixtures on the ! playing area. The spoil is being dumpi ed in the hollow in the hospital grounds : at the end of West Street and in Fulford Street. Another batch of men are clearing and widening the footpath on the left side of Morley Street. The whole of the money for the relief ivorks is being found from the contributions by the public, the men at Western Park and Victoria Road being provided for by the Mayor’s fund, and those at Pukekura Park from the funds being administered by the Park Board.

MEETING OF RELIEF COMMITTEE. A meeting of the Mayor’s Unemployment Fund Relief Committee was held yesterday afternoon, the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) presiding. The borough engineer reported that the expenditure for the week had amounted tn £393 19s 9d. Men had been employed at Western Park, Gilbert Street, the cemetery. and at Mount Bryan. He recommended that no advance or progress payments be made from now on, except in urgent cases, as no fewer than five pays had had , to be dealt with in the last seven and a half days, necessitating considerable work in making up time-sheets, checking, etc. It was reported that some men whose circumstances hardly warranted employment on relief works had been employed, and it was decided that each case should be investigated by the committee. Preference in future Svill be given to married men with a large number of dependents, then other married men, and finally single men.. It was decided that future meetings of the committee should be held on Friday evenings at 7.30, to enable the representatives from the Workers’ Council to be pre-