THE MEETING OF UNEMPLOYED

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 165, 14 July 1902, Page 4

THE MEETING OF UNEMPLOYED

Saturday night's mass meeting- confirmed our opinion that the unemployed difficulty here has not yet attained very serious proportions. Nevertheless, it showed very plainly that this evil, from which we have been for a great many years singu-

larly free, is likely to become a graver matter as the winter progresses if measures are not takjja to adjust the balance between labour and employment. The very vaguest notions appeared to exist at "the fire bell gathering as to the number of men who have beeJi fruitlessly searching for work. One speaker mentioned 700. but no evidence was brought forward at the meeting- or exists anywhere else that even half this number are really unable to find work. There was manifest too N evident an intention to air Socialistic views lor the gathering to carry the weight it might have done. One speaker went so far as to say that "if they were determined to compel the Government to find work for

every man requiring work they would get it." -If this doctrine were carried out in its entirety the affairs of the country would soon cbme to a standstill. In times of stress it is the duty of the Government to assist in fiiffling employment, but to accept as a cardinal doctrine that a paternal Government must employ all labour that applies would entirely do away with any incentive to look for employment outside. The inculcation of such views can do naught but harm.

A considerable change lias occurred since we last had to face an unemployed difficulty. There now exists a Government Labour Bureau. The first step for those who have unavailingly sought -work is to state their case at this department. Unless this ia done it is wholly impossible for the Government to arrive at any conclusion as to the position, and the steps that should be taken to alleviate hardships that may exist.

In lists compiled outside their own Department, when special machinery for registering/the condition of the labour market has been set up by Parliament, it is absurd to expect the Government to place very much re-, liance. The men who are now out of employment and who see little prospect of getting any should in the first place state their cases at the local Labour Department. By their doing this it will be possible to obtain an idea of the extent of the present unemployed trouble, and the sympathy and support of the general public will be with the men in any agitation they may subsequently conduct, should they still continue out of work. The Government are gradually increasing the number of men on the railway works. Instructions to put on an additional forty workmen who have families dependent on uhem have just been received, and we look to these drafts being increased as the Minister for Public Works becomes aware, through the Auckland office, that distress really exists as a result of an excess of unskilled labour in Auckland.

The . following is Capt. Edwin's weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. this day : "Strong to moderate winds from between west and southwest and south; glass rise; tides moderate; weather continue cold." Mr Ferguson, of the Labour Department, has received instructions from the Government to forward 40 local married men supporting families to the Main Trunk railway line. Men suitable for the work, and already on Mr Ferguson's books for'work, are requested to call at the office to-tnor-mow forenoon, when they will be forwarded as soon as possible. A petition is to be presented to Parliament praying for the 'jarly completion of the Whangarei-Huke-renu and Kawakawa-Opua sections of the raihyay line. It is pointed out that at the present rate of construction it will take twelve years to complete the connection. In the meantime it is pointed out that the progress of the district is being retarded owing to the want of a more frequent and rapid communication with the Auckland markets. The petition has been taken up by the Counr.y Council, and is being largely signed. In the Domain on Saturday there wsre three la crosse matches and two Association football matches. The chief interest of the spectators (about 209) was bestowed upon the senior cup contest between the Y.M.C.Afootball teani and Grafton, which was won by the latter by two goals to one. The other events were a junior cup football match, in which the Tabernacle B team defeated St. John's College by one goal to nil; senior ,1a crosse cup matches, in which the City A team beat Eden and Epsom by 4 goals to 2, and Grafton A beat Parnell by 9 goals to 1; and a junior la crosse cup match, in which Grafton B secured a victory of 3 goals to 2 over the City B team. Constable Irwin, who some time ago was severely: assaulted while conveying a man named John Duffy to the lock-up, has never really recover-' ed from the effects of the injuries inflicted on him. He recovered sufficiently to resume duty, but on Saturday night, he was suddenly taken ill, and fell down in a state of collapse. He was at once taken to the hospital, where he became better, and eventually became well enough to leave the institution. A man named Samuel Milnes, aged 64, a storekeeper, died suddenly on Saturday, at his residence. Great North lioad, after taking a fit. Mr Gresham (coroner) held an inquest yesterday at the Star Hotel. Dr. Bayntun, who made the post mortem, deposed that death was due to syncope, resulting from diseased condition of the heart, aggravated by fleuretic adhesion of the right lung. A verdict was returned accordingly. It was reported to Constable Finnerty on Saturday afternoon that a stoker employed at the Auckland gasworks, named Michael John Naughton, had attempted to commit suicide at his residence inHargreavesstreet, Freeman's Bay, by cutting his throat with a table knife. The wound Was not serious, but to prevent a' further attempt Constable Finnerty took the man into custody. He was to come up before the magistrate at the Police Court this afternoon. A visit was paid to the new Fire Brigade station in Pifct-st. this morning by the Mayor and city engineer. All. works were found to be well forward, and in about a fortnight everything may be expected to be in tiptop order. An evidence of the intelligence of the horses was given, the alarm being rung , , whioh automatically opened the <loors of the loose boxes, whereupon the horses at once ran out to their stations under the harness at each side of the pole of the hose reel. Inspector Woolley stated that these horses had only been trained for two days. Mr J. Barrett, of Paevoa, has bad a curious encounter with a- horse. The horse was on a footpath, and, learning from Miss Snodgrass that it had kicked her on the band, he went to drive it away. The animal promptly kicked him on the thigh, and a-s a result he will be laid up *for some time. Fortunately no bones were broken, the injuries being confined to bruises. The unsafe and dangerous nature of the" cliffs in the vicinity of Belmore Basin (says a Woollongong telegram to the Sydney ''Morning Herald" of Tuesday) was responsible for a shocking accident last night, in which a passenger by the I,S.N. Company's steamer Eden, named James Williams, lost his life, and a fellow-passenger, named Joseph Walker, escaped with a severe shaking and shock to the system. On getting to the tramline, instead of following the road, they made the mistake of walking along the cliff, and perceiving the lights of a steamer as they walked along made for the boat in a direct line across, with the result that both walked clean over the precipice. Mr Walker was able to get up, and as soon as possible Mr Williams was conveyed to the hospital, where it was found that he had received terrible injuries to his head, and his left leg was broken. He was unconscious, and continued so until four o'clock next morning, when he expired. A meeting convened for to-night by the Workers' Political Organisation is postponed for a week, as advertised. .

The unsettled weather of Saturday broke yesterday, and it was beautifully fine. This morning, however, another-.? sudden change took place, and throughout the day the sunskme was interspersed with showers of rain. The wind, although'not very strong, has undergone several changes during the past twenty-f our hours, and this is by no means an indication of fine weather. Along the coast the seas are moderate, except round about Cape Muria Van Dienien, where they are* reported to be. very rough. Locally, the wind i.s blowing from the south-west, button the coa..->t the general direction appears to be due west. His Worship tile Mayor (Mr Alfred Jiidd) and the city engineer (M* Wrigg) paid a visit to the stoneDreaKing establishment, Mount Eden, this /morning. Various improvements are being effected in order to ensure an aanple supply of metal for city requirements. The old stonebreaker has been removed and erected alongside the new one, and is now at work. The new one is at present having new ja\vs fixed, and will be running by Wednesday, when the two machines should turn out from 140 to 150 yards of metal per day. The timber from the old machine building is being iitilised to make a nice staule, and also a blacksmith's shop at the new site. As the Council has secured the right to gather the loose stones all over the reserve it will pay to have a horse and dray at work for that purpose. Some new hoppers are being erected, and all work is being done to make the stone-breaking- establishment thoroughly up-to-date. The foreman of works from Lyttelton visited the stonebreaker this morning and expressed himself pleased with the general arrangements. A meeting of yachtsmen was held in the Ponsonby Club Hotel on Friday, when it was decided to form a club for the smaller yachts, and open boats. It/will be known as the Home Bay Sailing Club. Despite the unfavourable weather there was a good attendance. The -following officers were elected: —President, Mr T. T. Masefield; . vice-presidents, Messrs. A. M. Carter, W. J. Jarritt; secretary and treasurer, Mr J. P. Maguire. The committed appointed was Messrs. T. Thompson, C. Tarbutt, N. Trevarthen, C. Ogilvie, W. Slank, F. Skerritt, and K. Crawford. In order to keep, the streets of the, city well watered next summer workmen of the Council are at present engaged building three new water carts of the latest type. Mr F. l<l Severne reports on the state of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ending Saturday last, as follows: —On remand, 6; awaiting trial, 14? penal servitude (life), 2; hard labour, 158; imprisonment, 3; default of bail, 2; received during the week, 25; dlocliarged, 20; total in prison, 174 males, 9 females. Mrs Malcolm Niccol, who saved three persons from drowning on one day. at Devon port, was presented by His Excellency the Governor with the silver medal and certificate of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand at the Exchange Hall, Wellington, last week. In making the presentation Lord Ranfurly said that never had a medal been more honestly won. Mr Niecol responded on behalf of Mrs Niecol, saying that she was proud of the opportunity of being useful, and would be only too pleased if occasion arose to show the same courage ag*ain. A meeting of those interested in the production of the cantata, "Britannia and Her Daughters," in Devon port was held in the Foresters' Hall on Saturday evening last. It was decided to produce the cantata at an early date, and a committee was appointed to carry out the same. It is expected the first rehearsal wili t>ake place on the 22nd inst., in the Presbyterian Schoolroom. The growth of confidence in the Public Trusts office is shown by the fact that it is now custodian of the walls of 1272 living persons. The .position of , the Public Trustee is naturally a very important one, as he has to see that the interests of widows and orphans are rightly guarded, and that their- estates and patrimony are faithfully administered and conserved. This is in ftseif a great responsibility, but the integrity of the Public Trustee is guaranteed by the State, as is also the capital funds administered, thus affording absolute security. The Public Trust Office merely seeks to be self-supporting, its charg-es having been greatly reduced even during the past year. The office also does vii immense amount of work free of uharge; for instance, correspondence and coneultations are free, no matter how complicated a subject is submitted for consideration. Advice, respecting wills is given free of ost, and the office makes no charge for drawing up or revising , wills. A Fox Terrier Club has just been formed under the title "The New Zealand Fox Terrier Club," and has now about thirty members. The president, Mr G. R. Hutchinson, of Auckland, Has offered a cup valued at five guineas to be competed for *at the next Wellington Kennel Club's show, for which purpose the Kennel Club has been asked to arrange a special class. The secretary of the new club iis Mr J. T. E. Harr'ap, of Wellington. A cable message from London recently received in Sydney stated that Miss Alice Hollander, of Sydney, who recently toured New Zealand, had a successful debut at St. Janies' Hall. The newspapers published favourable notices of her singing. A good audience assembled in the Theosophical Society's Hall last, evening to hear Mr S. Stuart's lecture on "The Recent Earthquakes and Old Atlantis." Mr Stuart spoke of the constant change taking place on the earth's surface, largely due to volcanic action, saying that SOO,OOO years ago,- at the time of the submergence of Atlantis, its configuration was totally different from what it now is. The recent disturbance was, he predicted, but the beginning of the final destruction of the last remnants of that old. continent, which comprised most of the West Indian Islands. Eider-down quilts and blanket* greatly reduced at Tonson Garlick Company's great cash sale, now proceeding.—Ad. Fowlds'. portmanteaux, trunks, and bags are the best for travelling.—Geo. Fowlds, V",toria Arcade. —Ad.

A 'successful trepanning operate !i was performed at Durgaville I Thursday last by Drs. -Norton and i Purehas at the residence of the kf 1 ter. The subject was the -six-year-old daughter of Mr Willie-Brown 0{ Dargaviile,, who was struck. ; on '«i ; head eight days'before, by a -sios| thrown by a boy. The wound at tk time was not thought to be serioife and was dressed and left to heal Iγ was not till Tuesday last that" tie parents became sufficiently alarmed to summon a doctor, it was theft found that a piece of stone was feed in the skull, and on the removal of this a fracture was revealed, showiuj, depressed fragments .of bone, ajj bits of hair lying on the brain. The operation being a dangerous one the consent of the father was tele! 1 graphed for and obtained. The operl a-tion was successfully performed under chloroform by Drs. Xorton and Purchas, and the ordeal %a s well borne. The patient passed V , I good night, and satisfactory J provernent has continued. • > I The annual election of three m§o.: bers to the Auckland Board jof J2(hi. cation is to take place this month,' not later than July 28th. The retiring members are Messrs Blades, Luke, and Muir. Mr Blades does not seek re-election. Mr Luke has teeaa member for 24 years, and Mr Muir since 1891, with the exception of a short period during his absence from the colony. These two gentlemea seek re-election, in addition to Mr Alfred Richard Harris, of East'TanK aki, and Mr Jas. Trounson, of Auek« land, formerly of Paparoa. Among- the many excellent numbers on the programme for Mr and Mrs Hodges' second song recital hi the Choral Hall this (Monday) evening is the selection from Weber's ''Oberon." The grand .aria from thi3 fine work has been classed as one of the most brilliant conceptions everpenned by this composer. This item will be given by Mrs Hamilton Hodges, and is certain to be well received, Miss Maud Alexander, the young soil.' tralto from Dujiedin, makes her tirso... appearance in Auckland at recital,\ and we feel sure, from, ad- : vance Southern notices of her singing,, that there is a great treat in store for those who hear her. Mrs E. EY Queree will play two piano solos, both new and from the composition o! Linding and Chammade. Mr C. B, Plumer ('cello) ami jtir J. H. Philpot will play some of the accompank ments. A unique concert is announced ia another column*to be given by Sir i Bernhard Walther, tne Belgiaa violinist, in the Choral Hall 6a Thursday, ~'4th July. Among, the vocalists, Mr Walther has secured talent quite new to Auckland in Miss Edith itogers, a bright soprano, and Miss Ballin, who possesses a fine contralto voice. The variety of vocal and instrumental nnisic promises to | be very attractive, and the concert E is creating lively interest among the Auckland public. At the instance of the choir of St. John's Anglican Church, Northcote, the gentlemen of the congregation, will hold a working bee in the churclx; grounds on Saturday next, for th'a purpose of cutting down a number of large trees which now shade the' church. The ladies are arranging to bring afternoon tea. . The Hat Shop.—Geo. Fowlds, Victoria Arcade, has a hat for every head at reasonable prices.—-Ad. ;| Blankets, rugs, flannels, calicoes, and all household drapery, greatly reduced, at Winter, Fair .—Smith and Caughey, Ltd. —Ad. - The Clothing Emporium.—Geo, Fowlds can fit you in a really, good suit or pair of trousers, at Victoria Arcade. —Ad. I ■ Tapestry carpets at l/Br-£nd 1/11 I yard at Tonson Garlick Company's great cash sale. —Ad. The Shirt Emporium.—Geo. Fowlds sells all kinds of shirts, both stiff and soft, at Victoria Arcade. —Ad. V Ladies' and children's black Cash* mere hose, 6d per pair; coloured kid gloves, 1/ per pair.—Smith and JOaughey's Winter Sale.—Ad. The Boys' Delight.—All are delighteed with the warm winter suits sold at Geo. Fowlds, Victoria Arcade.—Ad,.' For* rugs and slip mats'and carpet squares call at Touson Garlick Gorrr pany's great cash sale, now. oh* Mats 1/9 and 2/3, splendid value.— Ad. Children's pelisses, coats, and tunics, all reduced; special line of 100 ! childs' fleecy coats, all sizes, reduced from 10/9 to 7/11, 13/9 to' S/11, 22/5 to 13/9, at Smith and Caughey's Clear* ance Fair. —Ad. Your Measure, Please? —Suits to measure, £3 3/;* trousers, 16/6, aft Geo. Fowlds, Victoria Arcade.—Ad. Fowlds' Job Prices. —Boys' and youths' flannelette shirts, from Mi boys' Norfolk-suits, 15/.—Geo. Fowlds, Victoria Arcade.—Ad. - ; A great success, our 5/6 Axminster rugs. Call and inspect them at Ton* .son Garlick Company's great cask sale.—Ad. 54in white twill sheeting, from s|d yard; 68in, from 7|d; SOin, from 9£& ; 120 doz. pillow slips, plain, 4d, 6d, Q& 'to 1/; frilled, 9d to 1/G each; , bleached damask, from IOJd-to 4/6 * . yard; bleached, from 1/1 1 to. 5/6.- 1 Smith and Caughey, Ltd.—Ad. Fowlds' Job Prices.—Merino un&eT* shirts and pants, 1/3; heavy knitted tfndershirts, 2/6; black cash, sos, 3 for 2/.—Geo. Fowlds, Victoria Arcade, —Ad. Special line in Canadian beniwobd chairs at 3/11, most wonderful value,' at Tonson Garlick Company's great cash sale. —Ad.Fowlds' Job Prices.—Boys' Jyßf pants, 1/4; tweed K.B. suits,- "4/IK, boys' Norfolk suits,-7/11.— Geo.FpwldSi Victoria Arcade.—Ad. Boys' American collars, reduced to 3d each; all-wool serge knicke.rs,_ t<* 1/8; and all odd garments to clearing piices, at Smith and Caughey's $* lT ' -Ad. " Job line of Austrian bentwooa. chairs, only 4/3 each, at Tonson Cto r * lick Company's great cash sale.—A ,1 * Fowlds' Job Prices.—Black fiann cI undershirts, all wool, 1/11; strong working shirts, l/ll.—Oreo. Fowld* Victoria Arcade,—Ad. Men's all-wool Kaiapoi tweed sutH reduced to .17/6; tweed trousers- ■*.., 3/11; heavy' ser<re suits to 13/6,** Smith and Caughey's Great Clearance Fair;— Ad. J Beautiful cretonne couch, only 26 A at Tonson Garlick Company's' cash sale.—Ad, .... _^-ji* u, ' -