UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20499, 18 March 1932, Page 11

UNEMPLOYMENT.

PLIGHT OP MEN AT NEW BRIGHTON. APPEAL TO HOSPITAL BOARD. An appeal to the Hospital Board for assistance lias been received from the unemployed men at New Brighton. They state that since Christmas they have been receiving only two and a .half days' work a week, their total pay per month being £4 13s 9d. "As this amount is totally inadequate to lieep our families and ourselves," tlio letter states, "we are forced to call on' your Board for assistance. We cannot pay our rents and nearly* every man on this list has been told to vacate his house. Our position is desperate and the New Brighton Borough Council seems to be quite apathetic about the matter. Therefore we ask you to do your utmost to help us in our distress." Mr W. S. Wharton, secretary of the' Hospital Board, stated last night that, these men were supposed to get four days' work in each of three weeks out of four, but that for a long time they had received only two and a lisilf days. FARMERS' ATTITUDE. "I desire to appeal to farmers to do all they can to assist the unemployed," said Mr L. R. C. Macfarlane, retiring; president of the Canterbury A. and P. Association,, at the annual meeting ot : that body last night. Mr Macfailane said that he understood that the Unemployment Board was shortly to bring down a more attractive proposition for the absorption of unemployed men in .the country, and his own opinion was that it was the dutv of farmers to do what they could to take men off the City streets. If young men were induced to go on farms, the result might be that they would grow to like the country. It was rather a pity that the people in the towns should have to suffer because of the stupid attitude taken up by the City Council last year in regard to wages of unemployed.

DOMINION FIGURES. (PRBS3 ASSOCIATION TILKQRAM.) WELLINGTON, March 17. For the week ended March 14th the total registrations of unemployed men was 44,399, an increase of 31 over the figures for the previous week. Included in this total were men numbering 32,761 who were partially employed under the Unemployment Board's relief schemes, leaving 11,638 men unplaced or standing down.