ABSORPTION OF LABOUR

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22317, 3 February 1938, Page 12

ABSORPTION OF LABOUR

♦ LOCAL BODIES URGED TO: PREPARE SCHEMES ADDRESS BY MINISTER AT WAIMATE fTHE PRESS Special Service.! j WAIMATE, February 2. Local bodies were urged to plan j ahead and be ready with schemes to absorb labour when funds were available fay the Minister for Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong), when he was met by representatives of the County and Borough Councils, and other bodies j at a luncheon at Waimate to-day. In 7 Pn i a nti the Minister said, a | K percentage o. the workers was engaged in seasonal occupations and in the winter months many of them 111 1 nu of work. Public works schemes should be made to absorb those workers, he continued. There never was a time when New Zealand had been absolutely free from unemployment, but the Department of T nbour had been responsible for the reduction in the number of those unemployed. It was thought by many that the department was supporting large numbers of men in * he , centres with sustenance while labour was needed - in the country districts "The attitude of the department has been that men who will not work in the country are to be struck off the lists of unemployed, lemarked the M Now C therc were more than 4000 men who were capable of doing some work, i on the lists, but there were also some 8000 who could not do any woik. "Until recently these men. who are not capable of doing work, were not allowed on the unemployed lists he continued: "thev were told to go to the hospital boards.'’ With an increase in wages and in revenue the Government had been able to help the men. Local bodies were asked to co-operate with the Department of Labour in planning for the future. “The unemployed man.’’ Mr Armstrong said in conclusion, ‘‘will always be a loss to the community.” Introducing the Minister, the Mayor of Waimate (Mr G. Dash) outlined the schemes which had been tried in the borough to solve the unemployment problem. At first, he said, it had been handled by a local committee, but now it was controlled by a Government department. The Minister occupied an important position, and he was glad to welcome him to Waimate, a district where the people had always laboured. TOUR ABANDONED MINISTER FOR LABOUR An urgent call back to Christchurch because it is understood, of the illness of his son has made necessary the abandonment of the last two days of the tour undertaken by the Minister for Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong). After visiting Southland, Central Otago. Dunedin, and Timaru, Mr Armstrong was to have met the Ashburton Counto Council to-morrow morning to discuss the finrncial arrangements for the proposed cleaning and straightening of the Ashburton river-bed. Fresh arrangerrtents for the meeting were made last evening by Mr H. E. Herring, M.P., and the Minister will now arrive in Ashburton at 6 o’clock this evening, meet the council at 7 p.m., and leave for Christchurch at 9 p.m. to-day.