THE RELIEF OF DISTRESS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21197, 22 June 1934, Page 6

THE RELIEF OF DISTRESS

APPEAL BY PROGRESS LEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MAYOR'S FUND Contributions in cash to the appeal being made by the Canterbury Progress League on behalf of the Mayor's Relief of Distress Fund received yesterday amounted to £l6 Os 7d, and brought the total cash contributions received to date to £2187 9s lOd. Contributions in cash that have been promised and the value of goods promised amount to £2436 3s, and the total received hnd promised is now £4(L3 lOd. . j The cash contributions received yesterday were:— £ s. d Previously acknowledged 2171 9 3 John E.G.S. • . 'SOO Ch.Ch. United Friendly Societies' Dispensary 10 10 0 Goods Office Staff, N.Z.R., first contribution . ■ 0 10 7 £2187 . 9 10 Three contributions acknowledged in this fund, amounting to £l6 16s 6d, have been transferred to the Mayor's relief of distress fund of the women's auxiliary, and the necessary readjustment has been made in the totals given above. The contributions transferred were:—Home Economics Association. £5; Pupils Cashmere School, £1 ss; and 3YA, lis 6d; total, £l6 16s Od. Advice has been received by the City Treasurer, Mr J. W. Niven, that the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company has promised a contribution of £IOO. and that amount has been included in the total of cosh and goods promised. ALLOCATION OF £250,000 RAILWAY SERVANTS PASS RESOLUTIONS A suggestion that the Unemployment Board should allocate £259,000 to the relief of distressed families this winter was made in a resolution carried at a well-attended combined meeting lost evening of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Railways Officers Institute and the Addington branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. Mr J. S. Burnett addressed the meeting on behalf of the Progress League and its effort for the Mayor's Relief of Distress Fund, and after he had spoken the following resolutions were carried unanimously:— "That having heard the representative of the Canterbury Progress League on behalf of the Mayor's Relief of Distress Fund, this combined meeting of the Addington branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Railway Officers' Institute realise the totally inadequate response to the appeals for voluntary assistance for the unemployed and relief workers' families. It is evident that the voluntary principle cannot adequately make up the deficiencies in relief and sustenance provided by the Unemployment Board. Therefore this meeting recommends that the city council call a national conference of local body representatives to consider means which will compel the Unemployment Board to allocate £250,000 for the relief of distressed families during this winter; or. alternately, that the Chris!church City Council provide £25.000 for relief of local distress, and strike u special rate to cover this expenditure." "That a copy of this resolution be sent to all workers' organisations in Christchurch and to the newspapers." COMMUNITY SINGING | GOOD RESPONSE YESTERDAY The community singing in the Civic Theatre yesterday in aid of the Mayor's Relief of Distress Fund resulted in a total of £34 lis 5d being realised—the largest amount raised I this year at any me session, and £3 0s Id more than was realised last week. Yesterday's total was made up as follows:—Taken at the door, £lB 8; Bd, sales £8 Lis Id, 'isteners £0 18s Bd, and other gifts 10s. The theatre was crowded yesterday and Mr Alan Brown, the song leader, and Mr H. G. Goodiand, at the piano, soon had everyone singing merrily. Little Pat McLean, attired as Bubbles of the famous picture, pleasingly sang "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles/' and was rewarded with w. rm applause. One of the Wellington listeners, in making his contribution, jocularly suggested that a duet by the Mayor and Mr R. T. Bailey, officer in charge of the Labour Department in Christchurch. should be arranged. NEW BRIGHTON RELIEF j WORKERS j CHARGE AGAINST SKVKN j INVESTIGATED | A complaint that seven relief workers engaged by the New Brighton Borough Council had not been working properly was investigated by members of the council last night. It was decided that the men, with one exception, be given the option of working two extra days without pay or of being stood down for two days. The Mayor (Mr E. A, M. Leaver) presided, and there was a full attendance; of councillors. It was stated by the borough overseer (Mr J. Wilson) that he had visited a gang on the esplanade, and had found the seven men "loafing." The men had admitted that they had not been doing their work, but said th; the money they received was only sustenance, and so long as they were on the job it was sufficient. Seventeen men in the gang to which these men belonged had been stood down earlier in the day for playing- cards when they should have been working. J. Hunt, on behalf of the men, said that when they were caught they had moved over to advise one of their number, who was ill with influenza, to go home. They afterwards discussed the sentences passed on the 17 men earlier in the day. They had not been "loafing"—they had their shovels in their hands and were not playing cards. They also denied that they had made the remarks attributed to them.