Jobless flock to new Chch centre

Press, 25 February 1978, Page 6

Jobless flock to new Chch centre

The Christchurch centre for the unemployed, which has been open in Cashel Street for just over a week, has been receiving about 50 calls a day from unemployed persons.

L nemployed. had offered advice where possible and behalf of Ms Sally Raymond. yesterThe labour exchange run by the union now has a file of 80 unemployed persons seeking jobs, but so far only 15 to 20 have been offered casual work such as hedge trimming and laying concrete driveways. Ms Raymond said that when a vacancy was notified to the union it was put on the office notice board at 298 Cashel Street, and if no-one applied within a day it was referred to the persons whose names were on the file, on a first-registered, first-served basis. The union has received about 10 offers of the use of land for gardening by the unemployed and the union hoped to be able to start work in about a month on the scheme. Ms Raymond said that the union was also investi-

gating ways of obtaining cheap accommodation for the unemployed. This in-

volved close liaison with existing agencies, she said. The number of registered unemployed has fallen slightly. The Acting Minister of Labour (Mr Thomson) said that the 18,818 at January 27, had fallen to 18,476 at February 17, the Press Association reports.

“Although this decline is a result of a fall in the numbers registered as seeking work in only six of the 22 employment districts, it does include a significant reduction in Auckland and Christchurch,” Mr Thomson said. "This reduction is in contrast with the rapid growth in numbers requiring employment assistance that was occurring in these two centres during December and January.”

Included in the total registered as seeking work at February 17, were 2794 school-leavers and 516 tertiary students.

Vacancies notified to the Department of Labour and remaining unfilled at February 17 number 1387.

At February 17, 1428 persons were employed under the farm employment scheme and 9705 under the special-work scheme. The Opposition spokesman on youth (Mr E. E. Isbey) has predicted that unless the Government takes a firm line on unemployment, especially among young people. New Zealand will face a winter of rising youth delinquency as the demoralising effects of unemployment set in. “Almost 53 per cent of all registered unemployed are under the age of 20. This makes New Zealand much worse than Australia and most of the O.E.C.D. The situation would be even worse if New Zealand was not losing so many people overseas.” Mr Isbey said.

Registered unemployed, with figures for January 27 in parentheses, are:— Blenheim 178 (128): Nelson 282 (230);' Greymouth 119 (112); Christchurch, men, 1836 (2171); women, 1157 (1176); total. 2993 (3347); Timaru, men. 57 (80): women 107 (93); total, 164 (173).