COAL RATION WANTED

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21510, 27 June 1935, Page 12

COAL RATION WANTED

DEPUTATION OF UNEMPLOYED ."KHSKNT ALLOWANCE CLAIMED TO BE INADEQUATE Eflorts are being made by unemployed workers' groups in the city to secure a larger weekly allowance of coal for their families. Yesterday a deputation representing the men on one relief job waited on the Deputy-Mayor (Mr J. W. Beanland) and asked that the ration due to them shortly under an arrangement with the authorities should be issued immediately. Mr Beanland conferred with the chairman of the Metropolitan Relief Association, Mr George Harper, but was advised that there was no money with which to cover the cost of the early issue of coal, and that the men would have to wait until the date of the next periodical distribution. Issues of coal are made to the relief workers every three weeks, Mr Beanland said, after advising the deputation of the results of his ellorts. He was sorry that the position was so, but it would be impossible to make the ration earlier as the men had requested. The men claim that the shortage of coal, particularly in the present cold weather, has jpecome so serious that the authorities should take urgent slops to relieve it. After hearing Mr Beanland's reply yesterday one of the men said that the allowance made to them for coal amounted to approximately 2s Cd. It was obvious that this was inadequate for a family's needs. The three-weekly distribution gave every family about 401b of coal, and some of the men had families of live children. They hated to have to ask- for charity, but they were forced to do so to subsidise their relief earnings. The deputation also stated, after they had seen Mr Beanland, that footwear was another very urgent need, particularly in the wet weather.