THE UNEMPLOYED.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 133, 7 June 1926, Page 9

THE UNEMPLOYED.

LIST STILL GROWING. CABINET MEETS TO-MORROW. So far from easing off, the position of the unemployed in Auckland is becoming more acute, and when the Unemployed Relief Committee met at the office of the Labour Department to-day the list of those seeking work was 773. This number does not include the list of the Returned Soldiers' Association or about 150 engineers, fitters and turners.

Mr.'Slaughter reported that during the last week work was found for 94 men, but there were still over 1200 out of work.

The Mayor stated he had met the Prime Minister, and the latter informed him that a meeting of Cabinet would be called for to-morrow. If Cabinet gave authority to local bodies to borrow, he thought somewhere about £100,000 would be borrowed.

The Mayor also remarked it was intended to start work updn the exhibition drive, but the difficulty was providing accommodation. He understood there were residents of New Lynn out of work, and it was advisable to employ them because they could go backwards and forwards to work from their homes, whereas if men from the city were engaged accommodation would have to be provided, and this could not be done at present. "If we can get legislation through," said the Mayor. "I think the local bodies could get to work right- away, and the position would be eased considerably." Mr. Holdsworth thought if the waterfront road could be got under way it would be something substantial. Employing two or three men here and there does not relieve the position much, and something substantial was required.

I* Mr. Wallace, chairman of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, said the | board had given relief to 400 persons. j The number included many women out |of employment.

Mr. Slaughter drew attention to a statement published, making it appear that several men employed on the Orakei Road works had thrown up their jobs. This was not true, as the men were quite contented, and the only man who had left the job was one who had been placed by mistake. The Rev. Jasper Calder and StaffCaptain Davies said they were badly in need of clothes for the poor.