BOYS WITHOUT WORK

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21256, 30 August 1934, Page 17

BOYS WITHOUT WORK

VALUE OF INSTRUCTIONAL COURSES COMMENT ON ENGLISH SCHEME Youth workers in Christchurch are greatly interested in the cable message from England announcing that 700,000 juvenile workers not now insured will from next Monday reap the benefits of State insurance, and regard the provision of instruction as a step in the right direction. Mr A. J. McEldowney, general secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association, and chairman of the welfare committee of the Boys' Employment committee, said yesterday that he was very interested to read that the Unemployment Act in England provided for the establishment of courses of instruction for unemployed boys and girls between the school leaving age and 18 years. A statutory obligation was placed on education authorities to provide the courses and to enforce attendance. It was stated that the object of the courses was to prevent the demoralisation which so soon threatened boys or girls when they had nothing to occupy their hands or minds. Last year, said Mr McEldowney, the Christchurch committee came to the conclusion that the only satisfactory way to keep boys occupied while unemployed was for the State to provide courses of instruction and to make attendance at them compulsory. A scheme outlined by the committee was referred to by the Minister for Education as impracticable. The Minister for Labour also gave no consideration to the scheme. If a proportion of the unemployment tax paid by youths under 20 were apportioned to unemployed youth work, said Mr McEldowney, educational schemes could be carried out by the Government or by voluntary organisations, but there would have to be a measure of compulsion, as it was exceedingly difficult to persuade unemployed youths to attend instructional classes on a voluntary basis. As chairman of the welfare committee, Mr McEldowney pays particular attention to that side of the work, and an officer of the bureau visits many homes in an endeavour to persuade boys to attend more regularly at the educational and health classes. At present the committee was meeting with some success, but the trouble was that the boys who most needed instruction and discipline did not attend the courses. ABOLITION OF RELIEF DEPOTS CRITICISM OF PETITION RESENTED A denial that the signatories to the petition to the Mayor organised by the Anti-Charity League urging the abolition of the relief depot system were not fully aware of its contents and by whom it was promoted was given yesterday by officials of the league. The league took strong exception to the criticism of the executive of the Unemployed Workers' Association. An official of the league said that the majority of the 1000 signatures were obtained by him during canvassing at the Labour Bureau and at several relief work jobs. He had insisted on each man reading the petition through before signing it, on account of the clause pledging signatories not to infringe the law. It was quite untrue that signatories were under the impression that the petition was approved by . the Unemployed Workers' Association. METROPOLITAN RELIEF ASSOCIATION GIFTS ACKNOWLEDGED The honorary director of the Metropolitan Relief Association, Mr T. H. Cape Williamson, wishes to thank the j following members of the Farmers' Union, Culverden branch, for their generous donations of produce, goods, and services towards the of distress in Christchurch:— Messrs Campbell Bros., E. Roberts, A. H. G. Brown, A. V. Baker, M. Bethel!, M. D. P. Rogers, J. V. Harrison. Blackwell Motors, L 4 .d.. Winter Brcs., W. W. Mcßac, Wm. Norrie, Hare Bros., A. G. Wilson. G. R. Mcßae, H. R. Davison, G. V. Rivers, A. G. Black, P. S. Draper, A. Fisher, Jas. Dwyer, J. W. Black, W. A. and W. H. Lake. C. Hartnell, E. Hitchcock, Geo. Hartneli, J. Murgatroyd. J. A. Forrester, F. S. Gord:n, Wm. Davison, W. B. McMillan, R. P. Davison, Y. T. Shand, Geo. Johns, W. F. Grueber, D. S. Fleming, W. J. McMillan, W. V. Moo kett, R. Smith, Geo. Popplewell, the Misses Hodgins. Mrs 1,. R. C. Macfarlane, and Mrs F. Davison. CONTRIBUTION TO MAYOR'S FUND The Mayor (Mr D G. Sullivar. M.Pj has received a cheque for £2O from the Municipal Electricity E® u'tment for his Relief of Distress Fund. The cheque -represents the proceeds of the sale of products of the cooking demonstrations at the Winter Show. , BUILDING SUBSIDY SCHEME AT DUNEDIN 0P8833 ISS -CIATION TELEGRAM.) DUNEDIN, August 29. Since the number 12 building scheme has been reinstated, 7G applications for subsidy have been received in Duneiin. Of those, 12 have been approved, the value of the buildings involved being £9508. The discrepancy between the number of applications and the number approved is accounted for by many applications being still under consideration.