THE UNEMPLOYED.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13348, 13 February 1909, Page 10

THE UNEMPLOYED.

POSITION IN" WELLINGTON

STATEMENT BY MR TREGEAR

(SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, February 12. A meeting regarding the unemployed is to be held in the Town Hall, on Monday. Mr Tres°ar to-day said there, were largo numbers of men idle throughout the colony. If some labouring work were available in the city to-mor-rrrw< tk,, department would have no difficulty in securing 300 men in a week. A difficulty would occur in getting a large number of men to go into the country from the towins. They would not go under any circumstances, preferring to accept casual work on the wharves or to depend entirely on tJio assistance of their families and relatives. Throughout tho Dominion the department- had work ior jipproximato-ly 200 labourers, besides openings for fa-rm haJids and harvesters. Every day. howover, the position varied. With the exception ot men employed in the building trades, Mr Tr<?!|ear did not consider that there would bo much trouble with unemployed in the secondary towns for eorae tinio to rorac. In the four centres, he said, there was considerable distress among both tradesmen and unskilled labour, and everything pointed to a v<?rv hard winter. "'1 sincerely trust," he added, '"that the Government will Ik , alilo to obviate any unemployed difficulty in the coming winter; but there will surely he agitations ijimong-st the idle unices conditions improve considerably." A sign, of tho times is tho considerable number of houses to l<?t in the suburbs. In connection with this matter, the "Dominion" states that Wellington has a somewhat notorious reputation for Ihigh rents, induced in the first iaistanco by perfectly natural causes, the excess of demand over supply. Now, however, t.h<\re is a check in the commercial alfairs of tho colony, and incidentally of tho city, which has had an immediate eifect on property. One land and house agent informed a reporter that thcro were at present sixty 'houses to let in the Islanu Hay district, amd he could not roicembcr so many shops being empty in the city sinco ho had been in business. There ■was also plenty of vacant office accommodation. Another house and land agent, representing an old established firm of the highest repute, stated that aiever in bis recolloctkm had there been so-little buying and selling in Wellington. He thought that it was inevitable that tho .high rents Tilling must go down this year if things did not chango mightily, and ho referred to certain unscrupulous practices which he alleged were being adopted to keep up rents, and wihioh, ho said, .had come under his personal notice-. Ho declared that one tenant in a block of houses had been given possession of a houso at a certain, rental on condition that he informed enquirers that he was paying 5s per week .more, and to ensure absolutely "that there , should bo Jio deception" ho was given a receipt for the higher sum each week. Tine agent said he know that the same practice had been resorted to in the letting of office accommodation in the city.