WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 2, 3 January 1931, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD.

CRITICISM OF METHODS.

tramway RETRENCHMENT,

(By Telegraph—Special'to "Star.") j. WELLINGTON, Wednesday. 7

The statement made by Mr. W. Leadley, a member of the Unemnloyg n) ent Board, in Christcliurch -the other : day, to the effect that the tax. of HO, year would not be sufficient to cover *lie ; pressin" demands upon the board, has occasioned a good deal of discussion here It is being stated widely that S hundreds of .men are leaving less re---munerative work in the country, and even in the cities, to find easier and more congenial occupation in the nearest unemployment camp. The ta*. ■; payers generally would not grudge the payment of 30/ a year if they wore • assured 75 per cent of,the money was expended upon a good cause; but most of them are thus early, ready with stories of rank indolence and glaring in- , competence of some recipients of relief. : Jobs which should have occupied a iW days are being dragged out for several weeks, and, except in rare instances,: it seems to. be no one's business to yce the work accelerated. . ■ • Sooner the Better. jj£ The "Dominion,",referring to the de-, plorable state of affairs that has de--veloped from the Government's good hit'entions, does not mince matters, "People," it says, "are not prepared to -, be mulct indefinitely for the support of a scheme which on its present basis seems to be creating unemployment ill-.,* stead of reducing it. " Unless something vof a Constructive nature is devised, the scheme will break down under its own weight. There must come, sooner pr' later, and the ■ sooner the better, a ■ revision of the relief works rates of pay if the monby provided by the public is to go round, and a practical inducement offered to those on" such work to look elsewhere on their own account for ' bettering themselves'.". These are hard sayings, of cour.se, but they are justified by the facts, and unless the workers Ij themselves mend their ways the duty of ff the Government will be to see that ' reasonably satisfactory: results are obtained from the money .it has exactcd from the'community. '< Tramway Matters. The news from Christchurch to tlitf" effect that extensive economies are to % be effected in the tramway service of the Cathedral City has occasioned some uneasiness here among both the tram- ' way employees and the geenral public. It is known that conferences have been held-between the Wellington tramway management and the union officials and that the subjects of -staffs and services, as well jis wages have been discussed. Tho position here, however, is not p 0 acute as it appears to be in Christchurch, where, it is stated, fourteen hands have been dispensed with alreadv, and fourteen otlnys are to follow in the • near future. Wellington has not got to ' this pass, nor is it likely to do so in tho near future, but the fact that there was a material decline in Its tram revenue during the year just closed has set the city fathers thinking. It is suggested that private enterprise, as in the case of the railways and the motor cars, is at mischief here. 1 - '■■■■■ . l .:£ . < . ; -JX Diamonds. A leading local geologist, commenting .011 the reported discovery somewhere in - ! r the.' North Island of crystals which | "liave been proved to be true diamonds," says -lie does, not expect great things from the discovery. He thinks that fj from a geological point .of view the % prospects are not particularly encourag-. ing. No trace of a true diamond, lie says,'has ever been found in New Zealand. . .What has been'found and given rise to high hopes is zircon, which is -not a diamond. This stone when exposed to high temperature; changes or loses colour and is attended by a distinct gain in brilliance. Artificially decolourised,' it becomes the Matur.i Diamond of Ceylon. Some forty pr fifty years ago a number of stones bearing a very strong resemblance to diamonds were found at Mount Somers in-Mid-. Canterbury, and it took the experts in Londoifsome five or. six months to finally determine they were of no commercial value.