UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19110, 20 September 1927, Page 14

UNEMPLOYMENT.

FRESH APPEAL TO PUBLIC.

FUNDS NEARLY EXHAUSTED. The meeting of the Citizens' Unemployment Committee yesterday afternoon brought forth a heated discussion as to the Centre's future work. The chairman (Mr- J. K. Archer) at one stage compared the laughter of certain • members to that of a donkey. "When the Council was criticised for its alleged inactivity in meeting the unemployment crisis, the Mayor defended- the Council's policy,, and said that-his own solution of the difficulty would be by the imposition of a rate to provide the necessary funds. • The financial report was presented, by Mr W. H. Winsor, for the Finance ' Committee, and showed that after £7OO to £9OO in hand had been paid in wages for the present week's work they would have only £3OO or £4OO in hand, out of which certain contingencies would have to he met. That £25,000 Loan. Later, the City Engineer (Mr A. ItGalbraith) reported on the works being undertaken and the ■number of men •working upon then) under the unemployment £25,000 loan. The Mayor said that on the cngi- ■. fleer's calculation they coukl carry on the loans work for the next two months with the same number or men, but with only very few additional men.* ~ , • Mr W. E. Leadley said that in view of that the time seemed to have arrived when they should consider making a fresh appeal to the public or close down the Committee. . ■ The Rev. J. F. Coursev saw that with-600 to 700 unemployed in Christchurch they could. not sit back ana consider the Committee's work at an : end. Thev must raise further funds. Mr R. B. Owen asked whether they could not, by hook or by crook, get some,of the Council's £20,000 loan for' unemployment works. It was always Tery difficult to get the public to contribute again when the sun was shining and. with spring in the air. Mr Leadley asked whether there was any chance of getting a further subsidy from the Council : loan money. The Mayor said that the £25,000 was obtained for specified work and could not be used, except for that' work. Mr J. W. Beanland said that out of the £3OO or £4OO remaining in the hands of "the Committee there were, commitments amounting to £l5O. He had been -right in contending that only 50 meit should be employed this week. The Council had not started to spend its £25,000 loan-yet, and should do so now. •

The Mayor said there were two or three points of view on that.

Mere Rubbish. "We can twist these figures, round all you like," said Mr Winsor, following some mental calculations by members, "but all we'll have left at the end of the week? is £3OO or so." Mr. WinsOr thought that the Council should continue vto _ subsidise £ for £ tho money obtained by public subscription. The Council h'ad. let the Committee 'down in raising l the £20,000 loan for specified work and. not on a more elastic basis. ' Therefore,j_it was up to the Council to complete its £ for £ "subsidy, on voluntary subscriptions. .go far the Council had subsidised only £2OOO on £0240 of appeal,money, yet Councillors bad given' an ..' "assurance they would subsidise voluntary subscriptions £ for £.. ••••.' ' Mr H. T. Armstrong said that such; a. was mere nibbish. • The .GoUncif' had. undertaken, only to subsidise to £IOOO, and had done so. Ivo. 'Council'could agree to: subsidise indefinitely. ; The was 'doing all iit could' qut of-ordinary.; rovenue and anything else musfc ho done by ; loan money. The Council, in ,tlie greater amount of work it. could undertake; un-. fortunately, hadyto ; expend 60 to 70 per cent; of funds in material, and could notVeniploy" any immense- inim.bcr of "Kir-Hi' Worrall said that" the -committee should take the public into its confidence and make a-fresh appeal. The public's contributions liad dropped off from the time the Council, raised the loan, as people were under the misapprehension that £25,000 could _be spent as the committee, needed it. He ■moved that a fresh appeal, should; be made, ns'lie had previously suggested.

Labour Council's Part. The. Mayor said that it was ; impos- I sible tohav© any elasticity in the loan. They could never have obtained permission from the Government to raise the loan except by. snecifying definitely the work to be done. In regard to the- subsidy, it Was never the intention, of the Council to hand over a £ fq.r,v iJ 'subsidy to the. committee on ■ public " subscriptions.. This had never been donei previously,' arid the present Council 'was not prepared to hand over the money to th& committee even if ' It could. , . . "It 'lins never been asked'for before, , but this - is a Labour Council,".said the.Mayor. ""We undertook to find as much for unemployment as did'the Citizens' . Committee, and ' we've foirad £30,000. to' the committee 1 !? i£9ooo. ■ Ironical laughter. from Mr Coursey •oiid Mr Winsor greeted this remark. "I don't see what you're laughing at," kaid the Mayor. "It's a silly sort of a'doiikey laugji that! It is a superficial; illogical, and stupid suggestion that-the Council should make such a Subsidy," he 'said.,, "We undertook to raise-money, and we did so. ■■ The rich peopfe have not done enough to help the! a Ufteom|jlqyed. . The poor people have of the subscription mohey. The' Council undertook to spend a similar amount/ to the committee, hut not to haiid\it over as a subsidy. We have far exceeded our promise to the committee." Mr' the position was now that' the committee should carry on as far -as possible," and after that the whole responsibility for the unemployed would be witli'the. Council. The Mayor: With the Government. . .. Mr Coursey said that tliero had been of "stupidity" -and "rubbish," but the Council had done nothing .to assist' the workless to compare with the work- of the Citizens' Committee. "I don't think we should bring politics into the question. Mr Mayor," he fcaid,' "but Mr Hewlett assured me thrit'last year the Council handed over the subsidy money to be spent by the. committee, and the City Treasurer acted vfor the committee in his private capacity" . ' The Mayor: That was not so. Mr Winsor: "I think you could not have considered that statement enough. As a. matter of fact, the-work of this committee! .has been carried out by City Councillors in the past and this' year." There was a limit, he said, to the giving capacity of the people of Christchurch, and he hoped they would not have to mako another appeal. Marked Unpleasantness. .The Mayor here stated tliat in no ether public body had he experienced the same unpleasantness as at the Citizens' Committee. He took it that the criticism and abuse were levelled at him. The ~ committee at times was a sort of: bear-garden, and all kinds of reflections . and misstatements were niadeiicDiicerhing the Council. -, ■ "Personally there's nobody -.more Borry than -1 am that*'this miserable

ill-feeling has been brought into this committee," said tho Mayor. Mr Leadley said it would not be. wise to make a public appeal, touch a stato of affairs would arise that, the body would remain in being all the year and there would be a permanen appeal before the public. Mr J. S. Barnett said tlic x question was not what was going to happen next winter if an appeal were made now, but what was going to happen if an appeal were not -made, and the committee closed down. He jvas convinced that money would be found it the public were taken into the committee's confidence and appealed to. ' Mr G. R. Hunter supported the resolution, but thought- the Government should also bo approached and the whole position placed before it. Mr Owen asked whether it would be possible for tin; Council to subsidise up to £IOOO on fresh moneys subscribed. "We could raise a special rate, perhaps," said the Mayor. The whole question, Mr Owen said, now rested on the. Council's spenling the loan money, and spending it quickly. "My personal policy."' said the Mayor, ''would bo to raise the whole amount required for unemployment relief by a rate levy, but you wouldn't like it and Chrrstchurch wouldn't have it." Appeal to Public. Mr Worrnll's motion was then earned. Mr Leadley then moved that the City Council should be asked to subsidise fresh subscriptions up to £IOOO to complete the committee's programme of work. This motion was also carried ; A long debate followed as to whether the, committee should decide to engage 50 or 100 men for the next week's work, counting on. the public's response to the appeal. Eventually, on a show of hands, members carried Mr Coursey's motion to employ 100 men. INCREASE IN NUMBER. The Department's unemployment officer (Mr ]£. G. Queree) reported to the Citizens' Unemployment Committee that the total number of unemployed on the register was 420, as'compared with 392 the previous week, an increase of 28 men. Of these, 285 were men with a total of 777 dependents, and 135 were without dependents. Work had been found during the week for 121 men, including those on relief works. At present, 178 men-are employed on relief work, 68 on reserves, 10 painting, 64 on City Council loan works, 144 on water works, and the'balance undqr Mr Galbraith. There were 43- new applicants for work received;by the Labour Department yesterday, 29 being from married men, and 14 from single men. Three men were placed in private employment. " ■ ■

MEETING" OF'COMMITTEE. A meeting of . the .Citizens' Unemployment Committee was held yesterday afternoon, the Mayor (Mr J. lv. Archer) presiding. A letter was received from the Sumner Surf Bathing Association enclosing £3O as its contribution towards work they had requested should be done at Taylor's Mistake. It was decided. to advise the Association that the committee had agreed to assist in this work on a basis of £ for £ up to £IOO, and not on the basis of £IOO to the Association's £3O. }■ The secretary was instructed to notify the Association that men employed on the work, would have s to be covered by insurance taken out by the Association. TRAMWAY BOARD'S RESPONSIBILITIES. The Hoii. Mr Barr, M.L.C., brought up at yesterday's meeting of the Tramway Board the matter of the Board's responsibilities in connexion with unemployment. In moving for the extension of the scope of the sub-committee set- up to investigate the position ot' the engineering and .construction'department to include consideration of the question how seasonal dismissals from the Board's • permanent way force could be avoided, Mr Barr said that the position was that.the- Board was one of the contributors to t unemployment. Since the new system of track reconsi - action was adopted—the concrete, and bitumen nicthod—it was found necessary to reduce the number, of .workers as compared with the. number employed in the summer months. The sub-comniit-tce had'seen one or two places where the men could be employed when they could not be employed on track. reconstruction' work, but the matter required further investigation. ■ Mr D, Sykes seconded the motion, which was agreed to. ..