UNEMPLOYMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 531, 11 June 1909, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT.

CABINET'S PROPOSALS CHmcrSEO. VIEWS OF MR. M'LAREN, MJEV - - Interesting comment from tho Labour point of view upon tho Government's proposals with roforenco to tho unemployed:difficulty, was made to a Dominion reporter by Mr. D. M'Laren, momber for WellingtonrEast."'■ "I think it is ridiculous," said; Mr. M'Laren, "for tho Pnmo Minister 'to presenttho return of tho Labour Department lis being a statement of tho true posatipji witlr r*-; spect to ttio number of unemployed' tiis country. He must know that it'has.been made pubhc for some that only married men with dependents need apply to tho Department at all. In addition to that tho very figures which ho gives .would' indicate that there aro married men ally applying, and it is only a very' limited number of men who will waste their time in repeatedly making application for what'they realise is not to bo" had. Tho proposal of the Ciovemmont to fin 1 employment -by-bush--foiling work seems to ignore the 'fact thit : such work is only a proper occupation for men who havo special knowledgo or training. There are many hundreds out of employment whoso time nould bo merely wasted in an attempt to carry on bush-felling operations','' es they are quite unsuitod for such a class of, i~ -.work. \:H ■;•';<ypp: :.'•.:'-;,- ■■''■ : '-i '-••'■=''":''-' -•'.'•■ •'•.■ >i-^'^ n .^ m y-: :,: -iudgmenti"'i : ,;■; -;M Lajeu ) -;''prie.'aspect' oil'tnis'-V.-'unefflflored.- ■'• ; f°l ""''^'^ hitberto been"overlooked \- by the.Gpvemment'has got Ho"receive serious := .attention, and -that ■' is: the regulation cf ■' :,-:, existing ? industries, in : such ' a'way as to : : ;: ■.•■ prevent: intermittent .rushes alternating', with .;.'-.' acute petiods of stagnation.: liiother words,'' '.:'• must;beso.regulated that they ,;. shall ■■; be' run ' so as .tbvprovido -more ■ regular, ;•; employlnent throughout the-year, thus avoid- •;■;•■■ ing what has b.eenlong'recognised as'a great ',-■■ source .of :.evil..iu the: Old WorJd-extremo ? Cl \ '^i?, 110 ;" Proposal'to: a special' :;landsottlemont;sclienio to meet .tho position' ;, r ot retired. civil..ser.vants'-in-Teceipt-of'' less' :;.; suporannuatidn/than £75;pcr''.;. annum ; - lllns.::,trates.tho Piecemeal .methods of tho Govern'-' v-ment in with; this most; important -: ; - ■ Some;years;; ago '■■■ the ■ samo:party •■; ;instituted-a; State': farm- at-Levin' to dearth -the samesproblem, :;::arid? : tben evontuallv. .; .dropped ibe;.scheme;whim■trade': ; somGwhat ;/: This indicates that, iho^nly;: desire :;-of^the;Government is.jto'-.'dcal ) with'"what"I , .submit - is;. a -national problem "on' tW lines ,'of vfor ''.sectional ■•'.' interests -and-'-te grappling^with I ,;-,the l :problem i as'_a national.resue;which must '*™~?w ': b; ?,-^ u ? na Policy to /'permanently ; ' I - :''f,n?7^-^l ar^ a ? 3m ' tn - 6 ' comi nMity, which' .;;tho:-benefit pf:;Mtrred'GiHl:iSorvants,-.;was y, Btoongly•deprecated;by^a^loading lmembef of : .-;,-.i-arliament_in:;conversation.-.'lwith a: Dominion ...representative. It "was"v.admitted : - that' the ? ;Native. : _ Lands,;:; Acquisition- and ; Crown • ;. .Lands .Imprpyements;Act.: gave, power -to : make, iheie, .special::allocations;of: 'land:'/and ;. that/advantage .Jftd,.beenitaken of the /power - ;;v.<?n:-'-PMt.-flWMions,\bßt.;'tho/.pnnciples--tbis : •land.--:be ! thrown open -for. the: : /; .Civil Servants,-to:the ■■-;«oluaipnv of Speoial ' .-, lands would .bo thrown ..open• next,'-'ho sug-- ;/ gested, forihe imembers,of/the/Liberal iand '/.Labour/rederation,' who, would, presumably: ! ■M unemployed while Sir/Josepli-Ward wat "' , :*bsent from the Dominion.- ,'-':- .-'.""-'•

ACTION BY CITY COUNCIL All tho work that it is possible' to put in hand is to bo gone on with, according to a statement made by Dr. Newman at last night's meeting of the City Council. Large works must of necessity bo dropped, but othor works would'bo gono on with as vigorously) as ever. No men would ba put off during tho winter months. -In faot, all tho mon that could possibly be employed would bo kept going throughout tho winter even if tnoy had to shorten handVwhen' tho summer came. His Worshiped ho had tho matter with the engineer, and it had been agreed to keep all hands on. • .Tho Mayof of Wellington'is literally besieged with applicants for,employment at Present. The ordinary business callers keep his Worship fully-employed,, but of late the title of workless has tlowed so strongly th.it there has been a.constant stream of vinUrs in and out of the Mayorls room, and generally soveral waiting on tbe.'mat. EviiythMi* that can'bo done in the way of finding employment is being done, out tho Citv Council alone can not-cope with the domunj tor nvork.

EXODUS OF BUILDERS' LABOURERS. ~'^ r< !, riro not so many unemployed men in tho Building Trades' Labourers' Union as thero wero 12 months ago, ,says Mr. V Browne, secretary, but ho explains that this does not .mean that tho demand for labour is greater. On the contrary, tho 1 decrease ■ is caused.by large numbers of men leaving the ' district. "Clearances" of members who havo called and made themselves financial beforo going away have been registered almost daily w the union's books for some time past, lien aro leaving by every boat for Australia," said Mr, Browne, "and we have 110 knowledge as to how many go away from Wellington without a clearance. .1 Ttrolvo months ago wo had .1100 on our bookstand , (00 working; to-Jay there are 500 book mem- ' b * r3 .. al i d °"!y 14 0 to 150 are in employment, so that while tho actual number of unemployed is less than it was last winter, tho proportion of unemployed to members of tne union is greater than it ever i\as before in the history of the union." A stalwart young follow came .into tho ; olhco While Mr. Browne was speaking, and was introduced by him to tho pressman as ono who had had no work sir.co Bister—and 110 ono.has looted for it harder. .. ,' moming Mi. Browne, acting on the instructions of his executive, began to make a list of tho unemployed members of the union. A largo number of names were entered before the evening, THE POSITION IN AUCKLAND. DISCUSSION BY TRADES COUNCIL. IBi isi-eoaArii.-srzcui. corebspowdMM ' m. t■> t. [ Auckland, Juno 10. • Ino Labour Department reports that thero has been/no materiaL'chango in" tho labour warket in Auckland during tho past few days. There aro a numbor of men out of employment, bnt the position cannot be called acute. The-number of men applying would indicate that about 120 unskilled labourers aro unemployed in the city Bnd about 80 tradesmen. For tho neck ended June 5, 43 married mon and 106 single men registered their names in Auckland. Thars appears to',havo' been * larger number of men) leaving Auckland for Sydney during the pastl few weeks than is usual at this time of the year," though this is'tho perio'd I . at which many of the'men 'who'come over between September and Christm»s drift back. ( There has, however, been no «b- ---. normal expdus, from Auckland. Tho following, are tho bookings of the Union Ste*m ohip Company in tho steerago for, tho first four months of 1908, with this Year's figures, in parentheses:—January -170- (184) 'f 1 1 )r ia 17 , s r (2 ' ls^ n 3laroh 401 ( 545 >> Ann 308^ ( 33? ); totals, $70 (1619). The Hnddart-Parkor Company also reports that bookings in • the steerago-hava been heavier than usual. Some discussion took plac«'»t'th« Trades and Labour Council meeting as to the futility of the usual registration'books wherein those out of work.sign their,names. One delegate said that,.on a certain occasion thoro were three names 'down in a book as wanting employment. Ho know quite well , that there wore about 40 out of work. Ono of tho speakers commented on tha re--marks of Sir Joseph Ward nhen he'had said that the scarcity of labour was by no means ~ acute. This, he considered, was incorrect Another delegate declared that'there woro at present between 700. and 800 peoplo idlo in Auckland.