CHRISTCHURCH UNEMPLOYED.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 87, 12 April 1922, Page 9

CHRISTCHURCH UNEMPLOYED.

DISTRESS IX THE CITY. (By Telecraph—Own Correseondent.) CHRISTOHUJttQH, this. day. It is stated that unemployment in the city has become much worse, particularly in certain skilled trades, and, according to trades union secretaries and others, there is a great deal of actual distress. '"I encountered one ease yesterday,"' said one man, "'where a family of six was absolutely without a bit of food in the house for the evening meal." In the engineering trade many concerns are working short time and with •reduced staffs. A "Sun" represeotative was informed that many men are receiving a grant up to 10/ a week fvom their union as unemployment pay, but this number , includes only the propor- ■■■ tion who are classed as full members of tile union. In tie building trade there is much unemployment, and large numbers of general labourers are out of work. It appears to be among the last-named section that there is most distress. In the dothing trade conditions are fair, and there has been a good deal of work ofl'ering for the Easter trade. That the position is much worse than it was at this period last year is the opinion of Mr. Marshall, unemployment officer of the Canterbury Repatriation He said the position has become bad in the past few weeks, but fortunately he has just been aWe to place a number of men at Otira, and / this has brought the number of unemployed on his books down to 60. lnclu'ded in this total are 10 eases of ■badly disabled men, six of whom are minus a limb. One man has_4o wounds. There are 3."> labourers on this list. At one time this morning there was a queue of unemployed men waiting outside the doorway of the repatriation olHee, and a much larger number of men assembled outside the Government labour office.