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IN OTHER CITIES
Melbourne Gossip
[?]
MELBOURNE. March 30.
The report of the Unemployment
Council for the quarter ended December
last has just been issued, and it shows
that, although unemployment registra
tions are now only 19,754, slightly more
than £3,000,000 will be spent in Victoria
tills financial year on unemployment re
lief, which is only £1,000,000 less than in
1932-1933, when unemployment registra
tions were nearly three times as great.
It now appears that the Emplovment
Council recommended two years ago
the abolition of the unemployment re
lief tax, and the provision instead of
special funds for unemployables and
benevolent cases. The reason for the
Government's refusal to adopt the sug
gested course is fairly clear Had it done
so. the Labor Party would probably have
withdrawn its support from the Minis
try. By way of compromise, the Gov
ernment in its Budget for this finan
cial j-ear. reduced the unemployment re
lief tax by 20 per cent.
Public opinion here naturally inclines
to an abolition of the unemployment
relief tax. fearing, of course, that the
impost may become permanent as well
as being subject to great increases if
there is another severe decline in busi
ness. The present figures are alarm
ing enough. Since July. ig29. about
£24.003,000 has been allocated from un
employment relief funds in Victoria,
more than half of which has come from
the taxation fund. Furthermore, the
cost of relief work to the commu
nity is high, for most of it is gov
erned either by the Australian Workers'
Unicm construction award or the Aus
tralian Railways Union award. By award
variation, hours of working have been
reduced.
* Tree-Lined City
One interesting form of relief work
now bein? undertaken is designed to
improve the appearance of the city and
suburbs by the addition of 5.000 trees.
More than 200 streets will participate in
this large tree-planting scheme. The
expectation is that the work will be
completed by next winter. Two thou
sand of the young- trees have already
been planted. When the remaining
3.000 are in, Melbourne will have more
than 20,000 trees and 80 acres of street
lawns.
Comparisons are usually odious, but
the city fathers claim that when the
scheme is completed. Melbourne will
have more miles of tree-lined streets
than any other city of comparable size
in the world. It costs us about £80,000
a year to maintain our city parks and
gardens.
'Willie Everieam'
On a broad street adjoining the Fitz
roy Gardens, the National Safety Coun
cil is conducting another safety lane
class. Slung from a wire running across
the road are two dummies — Willie Ever
learn and Heedless Hebe. Motorists
trying their skill drive down the street
at 20 miles an hour, and a police offi
cer passenger secretly releases a catch
which causes one of the amiable dum
mies to rush in front of the car. At the
moment of impact the driver is expected
to brake and stop his car as quickly as
possible.
The officially beflagged Lord Mayor's
car started the ball rolling. After the
Impact it travelled 12 feet before brak
ing, and another 18 feet before stop
ping. That was a creditable perform
ance. One driver required 50 feet to
apply the brake and another car 45
feet to stop after braking. The safety
lane record for 20 miles an hour is four
feet for the brake to be applied and |
mother 13 feet 8 inches before the car j
stopped. The average performance,
however, is nowhere near that class.
Country Party Excitement
Last night's scene at the Country
Party conference, which resulted in the
supporters of the Minister for the In- I
terior (Mr. McEwen), marching out. to- \
gether with Mr. Paterson. M.H.R.. who j
resigned there and then from the party, {
was unprecedented, even in the stormy
history of the party.
The storm arose over a motion to re
admit Mr. McEvren to the party. Its
failure led to tile march out of the op
ponents of the Central Council amid
hoots and cheers. Calmer after last
night's storm and stress. Mr. Paterson
gave reasons this morning for his dra
matic resignation.
Mr. Paterson himself has been only
too conscious of Central Council disci
pline, but not even 22 years' service to
the organisation has held him back this
time. He says that, when he entered
Parliament in 1922. he was a member of
a truly Federal party. He adds:— 'I am
not now prepared to become a mere
puppet, whose sun rises in the Dande
nong Ranges and sets in the Werribee
Plains.'
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