UNEMPLOYMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 52, Issue 248, 2 August 1932, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT.

Sir,—l would like with your permission, to support our secretary's reply to Mj- Gallagher's statement of Friday last, as in my opinion Mr Gallagher made an unwarranted attack on Mr Wood. At a meeting of relief workers last Thursday night, our secretary made a statement that the report in the "Guardian" was incorrect and announced his intention of refuting the statement the following day, which I notice he did. Now, Sir, Mr Wood has been a staunch friend of the relief worker in this town and has left no stone unturned in an endeavour to better tha conditions, and it was with that purpose in view that ho evidently made his appeal to Mr Sullivan for information in regard to the ration scheme. The powers that be in Ashburton have never yet made a move of any description in attempting to better the conditions of the relief worker. Our local Unemployment Committee has done its best in protesting for bigger allocations and as our secretary has repeatedly stated that if the Mayor or some other responsible citizen called a public meeting and protested in the strongest terms through our local committee, better results would be obtained. There is plenty of material at hand. Other towns are continually protesting, with .results, against low allocation, stand-down week, ration scheme, etc. In conclusion Mr Editor, I .would like to state that cheap wood, coal, early pay and other privileges are the result of our secretary's interest in our position. NO CHARITY. Si rj Regarding the controversy on thewood question, there seems to be misapprehension somewhere. As one ot the contractors concerned I would like to state mv views of the position. Now, our secretary accented the proposition that we were to saw and split the wood for 7s a cord. Now the Council lias broken the contract, and our secretary starts to moan three weeks after it has happened. Why .did he not protest as soon as the contract was broken; Again, his is only hearsay evidence. Why has lie not gone out and given it a try-out? Now, 1 will try to explain where, to my mind, the Council lias not kept faith with us. Last year the logs were hauled out to a stack and the contractor received 8s a cord to saw, split and stack. Taking this years price of 7s a cord with no stacking, that clearlv leaves Is a cord for stacking. Then, what about the falling and trimming? It averages out five and ahalf trees to the cord (that is from my own observation, counting over 10 cords). Surely that should be worth another 2s a cord. Would you, Mr Editor, like to fall and trim a tree tor fourpence halfpenny? Then, think of us doing it for nothing.' It is no benevolent move on the Council's part, but a strictly business one, as just the other day in your columns you quoted the Council as saying they could not keep pace with their orders. Therefore, they are on a business footing and making a profit out of our misfortunes. Therefore, our dealings with them should be on the same lines. They have broken an agreement, and if our local organisation lacks the courage to protest, then it has outlived its usefulness. I am quite in accord with a lot Mr Gallagher said, and can assure him a fair percentage of us would sooner have honest work than charity, with or without a capital C; but I am afraid he has been misinformed. Even our secretary is only guessing. I challenge any one to produce the books showing men who made £5 per week. I know the true facts of tlje case, where one man (not men), can be shown to have done this marvel, but I challenge any one to say he did it in a week. I was in the plantation with the man part of tho time. I was in a full week. Query, how long was ho in? Such misrepresentation of facts is apt to be misleading. I trust Mr Gallagher's informant is more correct re. the £2 16s average, but again, | that average is not for falling, trimming, splitting and stacking. When ' there is only a small number, say 21 men, there are two horses hauling logs to that number: likewise, they require fewer men to fall and trim, but unless one specially picked their men I very much doubt if they could do it undei the present conditions. The top tally in the plantation for two men last week was 17 cords. The highest that I can vouch for under any conditions is 20 cords for two men, and the lowest is eight and a-half for two men. A fair average would be 15 cords for two men for 48 hours of slavery. Truly, it is relief work, relief from financial worries. NUMBER NINE.