UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20103, 5 December 1930, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT.

PAY ON RELIEF WORKS. LOWER RATE URGED. ASSOCIATION TELKGB.AM.) NELSON, December 4. A visit was paid to the Waimea County Council to-day by the Mayor of iMeisoii (Mr VS. J. Mofiatt), who explained that the position regarding unemployment in the city was desperate. The Council had decided lo put on *io men, and he asked the County Council to attoru ail ibe help possible. (Jr. iiigguis proposed that a, combined mooi/ing ol ilio City and County Councils should oppose tho Government in the tuatLer of the 14s per day pay for relict workers. He considered that a largo amount of the present unemployment was a direct result ot the Government's action increasing wages from 12s to 14s. Men left farms to seek such wages. Relief works were unproductive, and be thought tho time had come _ when somebody had to oppose tho Government on the point, and he saw no reason why that meeting should not do so. The. following resolutions were passed : "That the County Council heartily endorses the application of the City Council for a subsidy, and expresses regret that its application should m any way have boon hampered by the action of the Unemployment Board in not srrantintT the subsidy applied for. ' That while sympathising with Nelson City in its efforts to relievo unemployment. this Council harinrr regard to that whieli it considers the unreasonable amount naid to the unemployed. and whirl) in its opinion conduces rather to further unemployment than to its abatement. will not participate in the movement until wacos are so far reduced a<a not to act a« an incentive to r»*en otherwise employed to throw up tlieir positions, and go on to relief works."

ANOTHER DEMONSTRATION,

The unemployed single men made another demonstration in front of the Citv Council Chambers yesterday, after holding a meeting in Victoria square At the entrance to the C.ty Council Chambers their intention to go into the building was prevented by seven or eight policemen Ultimately the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) agreed to see Mr S. Fournier, who reported afterwards to the waiting crowd that the Mayor had written on Wednesday to his Excellency the Governor-General regarding the men's request that his Excellency should exercise certain powers given him under the Unemployment Act. This appeared to satisfy the men. While the crowd was awaiting tho arrival of the Mayor. Cr. J. W. Beanland was the subject of an outburst of booing, and some of the men made a move towards bis car, and a policeman was called over, but his services j were not needed.

EMPLOYMENT OF MEN BY FARMERS' GROUPS.

SUGGESTIONS AT HAWERA. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEOKAM.) HAWERA. December 4. A suggestion by Mr G. S. Hickey. of Opunake, for ilio use of the Unemployment Board fund for farm labour was endorsed by the South Taranaki executive of the Farmers' Union today. .Mr Hi.key proposed that farmers should form groups and obtain a Board grant ior .the icquired number of unemployed, "provide accommodation, and engage men on purely reproductive work. fie contended that the Board funds would thus help to increase production in the primary industries, which wore now faced with a prospect of a considerable decline in production, owing to the inability of farmers to employ labour at the present low prices of produce. The meeting expressed the opinion that the scheme was highly preferable to the relief work usually created for non-essential purposes. It decided to recommend the proposal to fanners, anil place it before the Dominion Executive.