THE UNEMPLOYED.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 256, 22 July 1908, Page 6

THE UNEMPLOYED.

WORK PROVIDED AT CKfIIsTCHURCH. ACTION BY THE CITY 'COUNCIL. ' : (DI IELEGIUI'II—PRESS: AS^OCUTIONJ _ ■ . Christchurci#iJuly 21.In compliance with the decision-of/the City Council at its meeting last?,night, the U orks Committee met this nftcrtibpn to decide upon tho work at which tho \Uiiemployed shall be put. It was decided to, employ ou the work of improving tho river [Janks men who were in urgent need of assistijico, and who could not obtain work throqgh the Labour Bureau. An examination ofrithe list presented to tho Council last night shows that it contains the names of 5S married men and 57 singly men. These have'l9l dependents. Forty-two of those whose names appear on the list do not state whether they ,a.re married or not, nor how long they have been out of work. There are-tlio names of 82 labourers, 19 carpenters, 7 painters, 6 butchers, 5 gardeners, 5 blacksmiths, and lesser numbers of hotel employees, bricklayerS| drivers, cycle tradesmen, general smiths, furriers, plasterers, slaughtermen, clerks, salesmen, pnstrycQoksJ pattern makers, fitters, tailors, asphalters. grocers, compositors, and motor, drivers. The Mayor has not . received any answer from tho Premier to tho resolutions of the unemployed meeting held ou Saturday afternoon which were forwarded to Wellington. ' Tho officer in chargo of the local Labour Bureau states that work on the Midland Railway and on tho West Coast can be found for all who apply. About 100 men put their names down to-day, and such as are'willing to go will be sent on Thursday morning. POSITION AT AUCKLAND. A TYPICAL CASE. ' (US TELEGBArn.—SI'ECIAL COItBEBPONDEh'T.) Auckland, July 21. Poverty, the. unemployed, arid immigration ' to the Dominion, are three questions that are beginning to loom large. :It is stated that tho ranks of the Auckland unemployed aro swelled by immigrants, some of whom are reduced to pawning their ciwn clothes in order, to live. The Premier's statement • that there is work for all who legitimately want.,it does'not appear to bo borne out by facts. Apart from the "loafer" class, and the "easily tired," there are many men out of' work hero who would' gladly- take on anything for a : start;- and who cahnot obtain employment. ■•••'■ Typical of this is tho case of a carpenter who writes to the "Herald'.' stating that he left tho Old Country, because of the scarcity, of work from reports gathered that men could not be obtained here. On (arriving some- two months ago, <ho says, '-'I found things vastly different. To. quote you an, example, Messrs. Wingate, of Queen : Street, v advertised for three carpenters up country. They told me; iliey had ,150 applicants for the jobV Messrs. Craig 8r05.," on their job in Wellesky Strest, told me they must have had 100 carpenters, call there .last week. And this is in my trade 'alone, and mine is not the only one in which men' are walking about. As a father of five children) I am glad to see tho birth rate is decreasing. Perhaps men may stand a better chance of existing. It is only those Who have a family to bring up who know what the worry is like of being out' of work, and it is no wondor. they aro' put out as soon as tlicy are old enough to earn a little. I have,no wish to run NewZealand down. It is a lovely country. But that willi not. fill children's mouths, or pay tho landlord. Tho -country is certainly cracked up too high at .Home, as not a few of us aro finding out to our cost, and I do think ' a warning noto ought to be : issued to those at Home. After travelling these, thousands of miles, it is .a great disappointment." • ; Tho new arrivals do not go .on the land in. sufficient. quantities, but stay in the cities, and tho competition for vacant billets is terribly keen. Sonic people in Auckland are asking what tho outcome is to be when the 4000 odd riien now employed on the Main Trunk Lino are> thrown out of work. ' " Comrade " Dowdle, of the Socialist party, .. addressed a large meeting of workers and unemployed at the Queeu's Statue yesterday in conncction with tho unemployed question. Ho stated that, after a. committee meeting of the party to be held that evening, a deputation would wait'upon Sir Joseph Ward, and if tlio Premier did not do something r to relieve tho unemployed' trouble ho would denounco him from end to end of the Dominion. Ho advised thoso who'were out of work to send in their names to tho Socialist party, so that they might' bo placed on a list for submission to the Government. The speaker protested against tho practice, of . sending city men to do " navvy's " work- in tho country, for which they were entirely unfitted. ■' ' ' V v ■ Monday's Thames " Star " has the following:—" Farmers throughout the Waikato district aro complaining of a shortago of. reliable ' labour." ■ ' " ■ ' ■ '