THE UNEMPLOYED.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 September 1922, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYED.

FUNDS NEARING AN END. FORTNIGHT’S MORE WORK. DETAILS OF MONEY SPENT. How near the Mayor’s unemployment relief fund is to exhaustion was made evident at an urgent meeting of the committee held last night. The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) presided, and the following members of the committee were present : Messrs. J. S. Connett, G. Roper, F.. J. Hill, J. McLeod, H. S. Brookman, A. M. Mac Diarmid, R. J. Clarke, R. G. Brabyn, J. Brown, J. C. Morey, C. Graham, W. Roch and W. H. Cook (borough engineer). To the cub-committee in charge o| the works, which met laet week, Mr. Cook submitted a report showing that, up to the 29th ultimo, the number of men employed at various times was 107, returned soldiers numbering 24 and men supplied by the workers' council 83, both totals varying slightly from week to week. The expenditure on Western Park was £863 12s 4d (labor £605 4s 2d, drivers and teams £258 8s 2d) and at the Gilbert Street filling £243 5s 8d (labor £l2B 2s 6d and drivers and teams £ll5 3s 2d), while the following works had accounted for the sums stated: Mt. Bryon, £49 Ils; cemetery, £B4 17* 3d; Huatoki reserve, £25 is 4d; abattoirs, £32 10s 9d; Kawaroa Park, £42 18s (all these amounts were spent in labor); special haulage, £3 9s; Pukekura Park, £100; tools, etc., £54 Ils 3d; a total of £1499 16s 7d. The total expenditure was further grouped as under: AV age* paid, £968 ss: haulage, £383 10s 9d; returned soldiers, £230 18s Id; Worker*’ Union, £737 6s lid. REDUCING THE WORKERS. The report continued: “From time to time difficulty has been met and overcome to some extent in inducing cart owners to continue the work, and a certain amount of loss has occurred in keeping the men employed with underetaff of carts. It seems to me that the time has come when greater value for the expenditure should be looked for, hence I put the suggestion forward that the men be culled out and only sufficient men employed in accordance with the number of carts available from day to day. By this means it may be possible to * make an almost complete finish of the Western Park improvements, but rot I think to Gilbert Street, which is a 12,000 cubic yard job. I also understand from enquiries that there is a fair amount of work offering amongst farmers, consequently as the funds in any case would run' out in a fortnight it seems better to reduce the hands gradually and induce them to seek work elsewhere.” The suggestion regarding reducing the workers was agreed to by the subcommittee. The following further report submitted by Mr. Cook, Mr. Wilson explained, was the real reason why the committee was called together that night. This report stated: “In my last report of the Ist inst., I gave a full account of the receipts and expenditure up to the August 29. Bringing the figures up to date, viz., up to September 5, the total receipts amount to £1862 10s 4d; total expenditure to same date is £1693 16s 9d. leaving a balance at September 6of £l6B 13s 7d. The average weekly expenditure has therefore been £212 approximately, which includes the items, £lOO for Pukekura Park and £57 15s for tools 'and insurance. A*, however, we have met with some wet weather the average expenditure during fine weather will be about the same.

COST OF TEAMS. “I have to report that the owners of most of the teams have ceased work on the grounds they are not getting enough money for hire. When we first commenced I invited applications for singlehorse teams, the charge to be stated. The offer made was l'2s 4d per day single-horse and dray and award wages for’driver (14* 8d), a total of 26s 8d per day, which I took as the basis for all teams. Therefore a two-horse team was paid at the rate of 31s lOd and three-horse team at 37s a day. The owners now ask for one-horse team 26s Sd, two-horse 355. three-horse 45* per day. The actual cost of borough teams during the last six months was: Oneteam 22s 2d, two-horse 29s 9d. three-horse 36s 2d. While the borough is under heavier expenditure covering rates, insurance, stableman, power and lighting, etc., it may be said the contractors have the equivalent in slack times, getting from one job to another. To give the extra prices asked the fol lowing figures show the extra cost per week: One-horse team, nil; two-horse, 17s sd; three-horse, £2 4s. AV fc have had four single teams, one two-horse team and five three-horse teams, the cost for whiMi would be £7B 12* 6d for a full week work, while at the higher i-cvte the cost would be £9B 6s 2d. I have not included any higher rate for the council teams, which have been charged right through at the low rate. A discussion ensued as to the totai funds in hand and to come, and with contributions from the Returned Soldiers’ Association (£150), V. orkers Council ( £35) and other donations yet to come in it was found that the sum of £3BB would be available. It was decided to allot to the Sports Ground Committee the £52 taken at the football match during the pierrots week, the committee undertaking to spend the money on labor and to employ men from the present relief works. On the question of the demands of the carters, the works sub-committee, comprising Messrs. Connett. Brown and Hill, were left to see if they could arrange terms for the short time which will” elapse until the fund becomes exhausted. As will be obvious from the figures quoted by Mr. Cook the fund will be exhausted within a fortnight and it was therefore decided that further meetings of the committee would not be necessary.