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Press, Volume LII, Issue 9172, 1 August 1895, Page 5

His Worship the Mayor de3patohed the following letter to the Premier yesterday :— " I have the honour, by direction of the Committee of the Winter Work Fund, comprising representatives of the Borough of Chrieichurch and the surrounding local bodies, to draw your attention to the fact that, at the present rate of expenditure in providing work for the unemployed, the funds at the disposal of the Comimttee will be exhausted in less than three weeks. For the weeks ending (ho 2Obh and 27ih of July the number of men employed was 534- and '483 respectively, while over 100 men are suit witnout work. The distress is unparatlelled, accentuated no doubt by the extreme cold and severity of the weather during the last week ; and without some extra assistance is forthcoming, alt the men now receiving assi3:ance tmiat be dischaiged. I am desire i by the Committee to strongly press the matter on your attention, and to express the hope that the Government will see its way to assist the Committee in providing work for the distressed during the next six weeks by making a special grant for aid. I am further directed o call your attention to an extract from the' 'Journal ot the Depar'ment of Labour,' dated July 251h, to the effect* that the local bodies -are employing nearly 300 men, while, as before . stated, we have during the last two weeks given work to 534 and 483 men respectively." In the report of the proceedings at the meeting of the Winter Work Committee on Tuesday the Lin wood Borough Couucil and the Heatbcote Road Board were omitted from the list of those local bodies who are employing relief labour. The Linwood Council are employing forty-one men, and the Heathcote Road Board 75. The total number of men employed by the local bodies is now 483. The report that 534 men are employed is incorrect, as the 51 men who were employed for a week only are now paid off. As the funds are rapidly diminishing, it has been found necesaary to reduce the number of those employed. Accordingly U • day his Worship the Mayor and Mr W. R. Mitchell intend going over the whole list. They will eliminate first those who are not bona fide residents of Christohurch, then take off the unmarried men, and finally select the extreme cases among those who remain, and allow them to continue work.