MANY UNREGISTERED.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 29, 4 February 1928, Page 12

MANY UNREGISTERED.

AUCKLAND'.S UNEMPLOYED.

DECREASE IN WEEKLY FIGURES. AMONG SOLDIERS. several hundred workless. In striking contrast with the authentic litres published in the "Star' on Wednesday, which showed that there are Nearly 4000 organised workers in the city idle, is the report issued to-day bv the Labour Department that only 725 men hftve registered at its bureau during the week "as being unemployed. The inference from the statement is that unionists, who largely constitute Auckland's vast army of 'unemployed prefer not to camp on the Department's doorstep day in and day out in the hope of getting a turn on the diminishing veh"t works, but to rely on their own oiliiials for assistance or use their own energies and devices to get work. With the cessation of operations on several of .the relief undertakings durin? the past few weeks the prospects' of getting ■employment through • the Government ( bureau have become more remote than ever. With little' work of any description offering, the Department "succeeded in .placing 140 men in situations during tlie past week. ? - " • 7 -While this weeks Departmental figures arp an impr6vetteof>it flwse adiaaced for the seven daVs, \vheh SO9 .men were registered as wanting work, the unemployment position is more acute .than ,it was" in "November when applications \Uiie reduced at one stage to.jlje 400 mark. Early .in December the number had ascended to 568j while it was 740 in mid-January, .. Another phase of the unemplo\*ment question is that which relates to returned soldiers. Several-hundred men who saw service at the war and were discharged with good, records are unable to get work, and the assistahce being given the 121 b\ their association is imposing a severe drain on its resources. The experience of both the: Auckland Patriotic Association and the .Returned Soldiers' Association is that the unemployment position, at the present moment is almost .ia, acute as it was.in the distressful days ot the past winter.

Since the canteen and Foppv Day funds of the R.S.A. were exhausted last October. the association has not. been able to assist its unfortunate members to any appreciable eX-tent. It is doing its best for them, however, by maintaining touch-with a large "number of men in straitened circumstances. Were work offering,.the secretary -(Mr. E. H. Sharp) could: put Bis hand on anv number of -thetii.- . • • r

. . The. secretary of the Patriotic Association (Mr. T. B. Kay) stated, that undoubtedly thdre were several hundred returned men—a great proportion, of theni married—out of. •work. The association, as a result, was dealing with 140 applications* for assistance a and the strain on finances was considerable. The association has what is known I' rovinciaJ fund, containing t!* 1 *° c * a * e * is car-marked tor the relief of sick and wounded soldiers and their dependents, and the dependents of soldiers killed in action or who have died ot war injuries." Another fund known as the B fund, makes provision tor the devotion of certain amounts to general patriotic purposes, and this has been reduced from.. £36.000 in the war days to about £4000. Since mid-winter the association, with the co-operation of the Utv Council,-, has been- able, bv paying half their wages, to keep °o or ■on men employed eat-h -week on munTci: pal -the City Council, aided by Government grants, making up the balance. Mr. Kay pointed out that in spite ot the drain on the .association's resources, the association was prepared to practically double its efforts in this direction if the City Council could see! its way to co-operate. In the meantime efforts were being made to have twentv men employed at Mount Eden, but after e\erything possible had been done there would be still some hundreds of men out ot work.