UNEMPLOYMENT

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21296, 16 October 1934, Page 12

UNEMPLOYMENT

MEETING OF LOCAL

COMMITTEE

SHORTER WORKING WEEK

OPINIONS TO BE ASCERTAINED

Various local bodies and authorities will be asked their opinions on tha possible effects on unemployment, cost of living, and business, of a 10 per cent, increase in wages and decreasein hours of work. This decision was made unanimously at a meeting of the Christchurch Unemployment Committee held yesterday. Mr E. H. Andrews presided, and there were also present Mrs A. I. Fraer, the Rev. F. T. Read, Messrs G. Maginness, J. W. Crampton, W. E. Leadicy, George Harper, J. S. Barnett, A. Peverill, and M. Ross. in pursuance oi noiice given, Mr Leadley movea: "lhat tne Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, the Canterbury Manulacturers' Association, and the Canterbury Trades and Laoour Council be invited to express an opinion on the following:—'ln the event of legislation being passed in New Zealand providing lor (aj a general reduction of 10 per cent, in the total weekly ! hours of work, and (b) a general increase of 10 per cent, in the hourly rate of wages, how would the operation tu such legislation ahect (a) the incidence of unemployment in New Zealand, (b) the cost of living, .and (c) trading operations and business generally.'" Mr Leadicy said it was understood that policy matters were the business of the Unemployment Board, not of local committees. The board, however, nau expressed willingness to receive suggestions. He was not concerned witn discussing the merits or demerits of ihe shorter working week. This was the first time the committee had attempted to obtain a considered opinion irum the bodies enumerated. This 10 per cent, reductions would mean in effect that the man now working 44 hours a week would receive for his 40 hours' work the same amount in wages. The scheme was at present successfully in operation in the United States of America unrler the National Recovery Act. When replies had been received the committee could make recommendations to the Unemployment Board and to the Government.

Mr Barnett, seconding the motiiu, said that the scope of the enquiry should be extended to include the Canterbury Employers' Association, and the District Council of the Alliance :>f Labour. This addition was accepted, and it was decided to ask also the opinions of Professor A. H. Tocker and Mr George Lawn, of the eeonomi'vUepartment, Canterbury College. Mr Peverill asked if the City Council had not rejected the 40-hour week proposal. Mr Andrews replied that the question was beside the point, but that he believed the majority of the council favoured the proposal, under certain conditions. The motion was carried unanimously. Central Relief Depot Mr Harper, chairman of the Metropolitan Relief Association, reported for the Central Relief Depot, that during the week ending October 13, rations were supplied to 2241 families, as opposed to £M\i lor the previous wee*. included in the first figure were 123 sustenance cases. In all, 16 applications nad been declined. 'inc sum m money handed over Dy the Mayor, if caremlly expended r-it. Die rate of JL2UO to i:2OU a ween, would last perhaps until tne end oi the year. f\o cash donations would be made out of that fund, which would be devoted mamJy to providing rations, and, if possible, clothing and coal. Some cash donations might be made out of a private fund, ear-marked by the donors lor that purpose.

The Commissioner of Unemployment, Mr G. C. Godfrey, advised that Labour Day, October 22, would be regarded as a holiday for all relief workers other than those employed under schemes 4A, 48, 4C, 4D, seven, 10, and 11. Any relief worker who was eligible and would ordinarily o-i employed on that day would be paid as Uiougn he had worked. Any relief worker who would ordinarily be standing down on that day would not be paid even if in other respects he appeared eligible.

Concerning the application of ihe committee to the Unemployment Board for out-of-pocket expenses for a deputation to the Wairewa County Council about the erection of a bridge at Kinloch, the board replied that it was con sidered that the erection of a bridge at this settlement was hardly a matter within the jurisdiction of the committee, ine sealers concerned could quite readily have made their representations to the local body itself, the Wairewa County Council, which was the proper authority in the matter. Tlie drafting of a suitable reply was left to the chairman and the seeretarv the proposed work at Kinloch will be lurther considered when a reply na.s been received from the Wairewa County Council.

It was reported that the site had been pegged out tor the Lees Valley bncige, and that tenders would be called almost immediately for its erection Figures supplied by the Unemployment Board showed that under the new building subsidy scheme, 196 applications had been received for buildings valued at £135,749 Bs, and that i4o had been approved, for building valued at £101.832 4s. The amount Z't the subsidies would be £8222 4s lPd.

•REFUSAL TO GO TO CAMP NEW BRIGHTON MEN'S CASE CONFERENCE OF LOCAL BODIES PROPOSED

A special meeting of the New Brighton Borough Council was held last evening to receive the report of the Mayor, Mr E. A. M. Leaver, on the delegation to Wellington concerning the refusal of relief workers in New Brighton to go into camp at Ashley. Mr Leaver was in the chair and other councillors present were Messrs A. E. Lawry, W. E. Wilkins, W. L. A. Taylor, J. K. Worra.ll, R. E. Holloway, T. E. Thomson, W. L. Hulme, L. Orsborn, J. S. Ainsworth, and the town clerk, Mr C. T. Middlcton. "1 knew that we had been brought up against a brick wall after the statements which had appeared in the papers," said Mr Leaver, in presenting his report. Before the deputation had been received the Minister for Employment, the Hon. J. A. Young, and Mr W. Bromley, deputy-chairman of the Unemployment Board, had met and discussed the matter in an adjoining room. Mr Leaver said that he had been bitterly disappointed at the reception they had received in Wellington. He nad thought to have received some support from the Minister, but Mr

Young had taken "no practical part in the discussion." Mr Bromley appeared to have made up his mind on the question, and was extremely sarcastic all through. He would listen to no reasonable suggestion that a disinterested person should be sent down to investigate the matter. "He was sarcastic about the golf links," continued Mr Leaver, "and asked me if I was prepared for the cost of the work to be made known." He had then told Mr Bromley that Ihe work was being done to provide some sort of occupation for the unemployed in the district, so that they could make some sort of a living. He considered that the work was producing as good value out of.the No. 5 scheme as any other proposition in Christchurch. He had admitted that there had been some slacking in the relief works in New Brighton, but the unemployed men's own delegate had promised to put a stop to it

A Second Interview In the second interview he had had, which was held in the afternoon when there were no reporters present, he had asked for gangers to supervise the workers. He was surprised when Mr Bromley had denied that any such position existed, as he himself knew that it was now being done at Waimairi and had been done on the Rapaki works, where overseers were being paid £2 10s a week by the Unemployment Board. Mr Bromley had been forced to withdraw many of his statements, made at tha morning conference, in the afternoon when there were no reporters present. A wrong idea of what had happened might have thus got about. The trouble had culminated when the report of Mr M. Ross to the department about men slacking had been received. Mr Leaver had asked Mr Bromley if he could state that reports and letters he had received would have no bearing on the decision of the Unemployment Board to send 100 men to the Ashley camp. He had received Mr Bromley's assurance that this was so. It afterwards was mentioned that Mr Ross's statement had not been received by Mr Bromley.

Position More Serious The position had now become more serious with the second hundred men called upon to go into camp. . He had repeated his request that an independent man should be sent down to report if New Brighton had sufficient work for its own relief workers, but 'hat offer had once more been ignored Mr D G. Sullivan had been at the conference and had helped to put the council's case before the Minister and the relief workers' own delegate had treated the Unemployment Board very courteously, but Mr Bromley had refused to listen to any contradiction o.t the statement that there were too many men in New Brighton to be employed locally. ~ . . "Mr Bromley did all the talking and managed all the argument." said Mr Leaver. ~T , . ~ -Another Mussolini, your Worship, said a member. "A bit worse," said Mr Leaver, I do not see how we can persuade him. He contended that the Unemployment Act was never framed to give anyone the power to say that to get sufficient to live a man should go to camp to snd it. A Resolution Cr. Worrall moved that the report should be adopted and said that as there was an apparent deadlock between the borough council and the Unemployment Board he had another motion to put before the meeting:— That this council ask the Mayor of Christchurch to call a meeting of representatives of local bodies in and around Christchurch to consider the improvement of the position of relief workers, and more particularly in the dispute between the New Brighton Borough Council and the Unemployment Board. "The relief workers are in part to blame for the position." said Cr. Worrall, "as many have been slacking on relief work." Cr. Ainsworth said he thought that the most culpable party was the borough council, as it had failed to provide proper supervision, which had resulted in the men slacking. The Mayor said that it was not the duty of the borough council to provide supervisors, for the Unemployment Board had done so at Waimairi and Rapaki. New Brighton had been sorted out to draw the men away from their homes.

As Cr. Ainsworth rose to reply the Mayor interposed: "It is like water off a duck's back anything you say to me. Cr. Ainsworth." Cr. Ainsworth: Had better supervision been provided this trouble would never have arisen.

The Mayor said that the council had been definitely charged with reinstating men who had been reported and stood down. It was alleged in Wellington that these men had gone round the council and been sent back to work. That had never been done. Cr. Lawry: Will Cr. Worrall's motion bring action quickly enough? The council has treated the members of the board with every courtesy and consideration, but they do not treat us as men at all. rositicm of the Men

The Mayor said that if it was not going to put the men in a worse position he would take any step to bring the members of the board to their senses. Many of the men were prepared to make huge sacrifices to combat the principle of sending men to camp.

Cr. Worrall: If we fight and stoo;;) to the level of the Unemployment Board we will put the men in a worse position and get nowhere at all. We have the case and we must prove it to win out.

The Mayor then asked if Cr. Worrall would add members of Parliament to the list to be included in the special meeting, and this was unanimously agreed to. Mr Leaver said that he had shown Mr Bromley that the supervision fees would be less than the cost of camp fees. He wanted the conference called as soon ;:s possible.

"If the scheme of the Unemployment Board wins here they will not let it rest, but carry it on over the whole country," continued Mr Leaver. Cr. Worrall's motion was then oul to the meeting, and was carried unanimously.

Cr. Thomson: The discourtesy shown lo the council by the Unemployment Board is shameful and unpardonable. We should have been given a fortnight's notice. He believed that the men would have gone to camp voluntarily if the conditions, work. . pay, and accommodation had been made known to them.

Cr. Worrall then proposed: "That this council considers itself deliberately slighted by the Unemployment Board in so far as it was not ie_-med necess-ry to give prior notice to the council of its proposed action to transfer men from New Brighton to the Ashley camp." This was carried unanimously by the meeting. The council meeting then adjourned for further discussion in committee.