UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19974, 8 July 1930, Page 16

UNEMPLOYMENT.

SCHEDULE OF WORKS.

CITY COUNCIL RELIEF SCHEME. Fresh measures for the relief of unemployment were discussed by the Christchurch City Council last evening, and a schedule of relief works was approved. The Finance Committee reported: The committee has given consideration to the motion as. moved by Cr. E. E. McCombs that a special loan of £BSOO be raised for the purpose of providing work for the unemployed, and to tfie amendment as moved by Cr. M. E. Lyons, referring the matter to the committee. After conferring with the chairmen of the Works and Reserves Committees, the committee recommends the Council to adopt the following schedule of work to bo carried out as relifef works: Works Department. £ s. d. Widening Culverts — ' Slater street (2) Paparoa street St. Johns street Linwood avenuo Tilford street .. CSO 0 0 Stanmore road, widening .. 300 0 0 Street widening, including rounding corners .. 500 0 0 Construction of rubble wall at King Edward terrace and Long street .. 200 0 0 Ensor's road, kerb, channel, and asphalt where widening was recently done .. • ■ "50 0 0 Cashel street, alteration to channel .. •• 875 0 O Garland's road, construction from Princes street to proposed new bridge .. 600 0 0 Eegrading Cleveland and Ilendon streets .. 200 0 0 Metalling and Sealing— Sherborne street Bealey avenuo to Edgeware road .. .. 1800 0 0 Wilsons Toad (St. Martins) 2150 0 0 Wilsons road (Ferry road to river) .. • • 1450 0 0 St. John street, Woolston 850 0 0 Kearney's road, behind Boserve 212 —Grading and forming clinker road and metalling .. 850 0 0 Si 10,175 0 0 Reserves Department. Beckenham Park, trenching shrubbery—wages .. 35 0 0 Bottle Lake, tree plantingwages .. •• 100 0 0 Woolston Park, additional playing area — Team hire £35, Materials £.15, Wages £SO 100 0 0 Buxton's corner Eesevve. New recreation area— Team work £l2O, Matorials £3O, Wages £ 150 .. 300 0 0 Malvorn Park, tsee planting —Wages .. ... 35 0 0 Milton street Eeserve, tree planting —Wages .. 40 0 0 Linwood avenue, tree planting—Wages .. . ■ 50 0 0 Linwood Park, formation of paddling pond—Wages 50 0 0 Heathcoto River Banks, tree planting—Wages .. 250 0 0 Municipal Golf Links, addition to links—Wages .. 250 0 0 Cemeteries, forming new pathways—Wages .. 50 0 0 Buckleys road Reserve, completion of playing area —Wages .. .. 100 0 0 Spreydon Domain, tree planting—Wages .. 25 0 0

j *;1385 0 0 Grand total .. £11,560 0 0 Cr. McCombs congratulated the committee on having done so much, and expressed the hope that another schedule of work of equal value would be approved later. Only an Instalment. Cr. D. G. Sullivan said he took it that the clause did not represent tho final measures the committee proposed to take. Cr. E. H. Andrews: That is so. Cr. Sullivan said the situation was worse this year, and while the Council was struggling to solve the problem here, the Government was adding to its difficulty. Cr. A". E. Armstrong: Tho £BSOO will be used to employ men as the other money is used. .We may talk about the men at Addington, but the same thing has been done by this Council by tho importation of labour-saving devices. When I put forward my proposal for a 40-hour week The Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer): Cr. Armstrong, I'm sorry, but we cannot discuss that. Cr. Armstrong accepted the ruling, and continued that it took men a week to get used to the work they were engaged on by the Council. Then, as soon as they became accustomed to it, they were put off again. It would be far better to employ 50 men on constant work. ' "If councillors would not misinterpret me and ridicule me, they would do much more good than by spending money the way they are at present," ho added. Government Criticised. Cr. J. W. Beanland said that if Cr. Armstrong were chairman of the Works Committee he would know a little more about it. Men came along constantly for work, and they were trying to help all for a short period rather than a few permanently. To-day there were 128 men on relief and casual work. It was disheartening that tho Government should put men off and make the position all the more difficult. For a few weeks, perhaps, the men could stand the loss of work, but not for too long. A strong protest should be made to the Government against such a policy. The Government sacked its men and yet asked private employers to keep their men on. There were numerous employers in Christcliurch to-day who had men they did not need on their staffs. Cr. Armstrong: Put 50 men on. Cr. Beanland: Not for you or anyone else would I put on 50 men and let 100 starve. Cr. M. E. Lyons: The Government is certainly on the hdrns of a dilemma, but every employer in the Dominion is in the same position. It would be much more rational for the Government to work the whole of its employees for a short while than to put thqm on the street. £2 For £1 Subsidy. Cr. Andrews: If some motion is proposed, as suggested by Cr. Lyons, it will bo very acceptable, for it will have the effect of making the money go round. I thank Crs. Sullivan and McCombs for their congratulations, and I hope we will be able to do something more substantial when we bring down our estimates. The subsidy business looks very rosy, but it is a little deceiving, It shows that we are not getting £2 for £1 all the time. The subsidy on voluntary subscriptions is a far better proposition, for it includes material. Every penny of. the money

is being taken out of the revenue of the Council, and there is no loan, as Cr. Armstrong seems to think. Cr. Armstrong: Will it be a five-day week or a 40-hour week. Cr. Lyons: The reductions should be spread over the whole service. The report was adopted. Additional Works. The Water Supply and Works Committee reported:— At present 85 men are engaged on unemployment relief works. Most of the works originally authorised are nearing completion, and the following additional works have been commenced:: — £ Wilson's road, St. Martins: scarify, grade, metal, and seal 2150 Sherborne street: Kemove peat, scarify, grade, metal, and seal 1800 St. John's street: Scarify, grade, metal, and seal .. .. 850 Kearney's road: Grade, form clinker road, and metal .. 850 Eastern terrace (Wilson's roadTennyson street): Metal and seal .. .. .. 450

CITIZENS' FINANCE COMMITTEE.

The Finance Committee of the Citizens' Unemployment Committee met yesterday. Present:—Crs. E. H. Andrews ■ (chairman), Annie I. Fraer, Messrs John Wood, R. J. Ecroyd, William Goss, E. T. Bailey, J. S. Barnett, J. F. Eames, and P. R. Climie (secretary). Apologies were received from Messrs George Harper and C. E. Cross (chairman Waimairi County Council). The chairman reported that the collection taken up on Saturday at the second Test football match on behalf of the committee's funds amounted to £9. Gratification was expressed with the result. Benefit Trotting Meeting. The secretary read a letter from the Canterbury Park Trotting Club enclosing a subscription of £SO, and setting out that, owing to other attractions on Saturdays, tho benefit trotting meeting suggested by the committee would not be as successful as the committee seemed to anticipate. It was decided to approach the C.J.C. and Metropolitan Trotting Club for subscriptions; and to thank the . Canterbury Park Trotting Club for its grant. The secretary reported that the Christchurch manager of W. D. and H. O. Wills had presented the committee with 2000 cigarettes. It was decided to distribute them to tho unemployed through the depots.

Financial Statement. The financial statement showed that since the previous meeting £124 had been received in subscriptions; that the amount in hand was £734; and that the amount in hand at the Citizens' Eelief Receiving Depot was £4. Unemployment Figures. The Minister for Labour wrote that each week he released, for publication, the figures relative to the number of unemployed, and it was a surprise to him that the committee was not aware that the figurca were not now being withheld. This communication was taken to mean that the officer in charge of the Labour Department in Christchurch (Mr B. T. Bailey) could give the figures relating to'Christchurch for publication. Mr Bailey reported that the number on the register that morning was 841; of the total there were 496 men ■with dependents; there were 754 fit for heavy work —437 with dependents, and 319 without dependents; 85 fit for light work, 59 with dependents, and 26 without dependents. There were 345 single men. Of the men with dependents there were 118 with one dependent; 111 with 2; 109. with 3; 90 with 4; 32 with 5; 20 with C; 9 with 7; 6 with 8; and one with 9; total dependents, 1427. There had been placed during the week: On public works, 30; in private employment, 3; and on other works, 4. Prospective work: 100 men on forestry work.

Sydenham Depot. Cr. Fraer reported that the Sydenham depot was opened on Friday, but to date there had not bpen a big tendance, and there had been sufficient supplies to go round. There been a good response to the appeal to drapers for material to make up into garments for the families of tho unemployed. Two firms had undertaken to cut out all the material. Grants to Depots. Ecferring to the funds in the committee's hands, Mr Goss said that the present was the time that help was wanted. The secretary said that grants to the Works and Eeserves Committees of the City Council, to the patfiway on Cashmere Hills, and to the depots accounted for £550 of tho amount in hand, the grants not having yet been paid over. Mr Goss asked if something could not be done to get bigger contributions, and to get them in quicker. There were a lot of men unemployed, and this month and next were the bad months. Tho secretary said that the Rev. L. B. Neale had rung him up and asked if there was any prospect of further assistance to his depot, and he (Mr Climie) had replied that they were looking forward to getting something out of the football charity match. Cr. Fraer said that Staff-Captain Dry (Salvation Army) had told her that he had got no assistance from the committee. the amount voted having gone to Adjutant Coombe, who was in charge of another brafach of the Army's work. Mr Goss moved that £SO be granted to each depot. Mr Ecroyd said that if the motion was agreed to they would be going contrary to their instructions from the General Committee, which were that all the money collected should be spent in providing work. Mr Barnett and himself had been collecting from drapers material to be made into garments for the families of the unemployed, so as to save the committee spending money in that direction. The appeal issued by the committee also definitely stated that the money would be used in providing work. Cr. Fraer, replying to Mr Ecroyd, said that the material received to date was worth quite £SO. Mr Eames said that tho functions of the committee had been enlarged and it now acted as an executive and also dealt with matters relating to the depots. The chairman said that their position was different from their position when they started, the alterations being on the lines mentioned by Mr Eames. In addition, the committee had established the Sydenham depot. Mr Goss said that thero were 841 men out of work, tho committee did not have the means to get them work, and the men should be helped. The depots were doing the work for the committee, and helping it out of a very difficult situation. Cr. Fraer moved, as an amendment, that '£2s be voted to each depot. Mr Barnett said that one firm that Mr Ecroyd and himself had waited on had told them that on four consecutive days they had been waited on for assistance. He (Mr Barnett) suggested that the other organisations onght to

canvass for the central distributing depot. Cr. Fraer's amendment was agreed to. When this waß submitted a* the substantive motion, Mr Ecroyd moved an amendment that £25 worth of goods be voted to each depot. This amendment was negatived and Cr. Fraer's motion was agreed to. Hagley Park Fences. Mr E. B. Owen on the committee as a deputation from the Domains Board, and apologised for the absence of Mr H. Kitson. He put before the committee the proposal made at the meeting of the Board on Friday last with reference to the removal of the present hedges round parts of Hagley Park, and their substitution by a wire fence with concrete posts. He said that the Board had decided to grant £2OO for the worw, subject to the raising of a similar amount. He asked the committee to vote £2OO, and said that if this were done the idea was to got the Government to subsidise the £6OO. In reply to a question, Mr Oweft said that it was estimated that the proportion of labour to material would be 60 per cent. After some discussion it was decided to postpone the matter till the next meeting, in order that Mr Owen could submit estimates of the cost of the work, and other details.