THE UNEMPLOYED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 543, 25 June 1909, Page 7

THE UNEMPLOYED.

HARBOUR BOARD WORKS, TO RELIEVE' DISTRESS. : . Tho Harbour: Board sat in committee for close on two hours yesterday.afternoon, discussing the .works to be undertaken during the coming year.' ; ■:-■.• ■' ■ ' :. :• : ipjt re3uming,\ the .Chairman (Sir. ,Ti-M.' AVili'ord, :M.l'.):'said that the board' weio unmindful of the necessity for pushing on works 'that wero 'dtemed to bo needed at present, , ; They understood;thoir Tesponsibili-' ties-as a local "body l to take their share of the duty of finding: employment for those out; of work. :• The letting of the contract' for: the extension of'.Waterloo Quay Wharf,', for ; the, making' of - culverts, and: for other.: operations in that locality, would, in. their; opinion, ■: furnish the possibility, of enipibv■( ment,; and help to relievo some of the ilis- : ■tress\now-existing; . : As,'soon7as:-possible,l and.'Under Statutory obligations,•the board would consider tto carrying out of its responsibilities in regard: to reclamation and wharf extension.at ffifamar.' Ho would, probably bo able.to report;. : ini the'near future,' the immediate.v'orosecntion of works in that direction, which;would;give.employment; to many.of'those who were at,present heeding it..;. In, view of the authorised- construction' ■of; roads in ;Waterloo .Quay,- footpaths, and , drainage,;.and...tho' erection of a temporary shedhat Waterloo; Quay, (which, he expected, would be' Completed in threo or four months' time); :he considered: that'.;.the\ board'could say.that.they :.were: doing-something towards, relieving the surplus of: labour at present: on; the ■• market. ; .-. Ho < felt, sure that the .efforts: of;the' board ,■ all of, whose members had looked- upon the matter as:one of ■.nrgentvnecessity,..wp'uld: by ■ ose :'S° were.deservingfof,consideration. ;;u : , : ..^;:>CAN^WORJC::BE'-FOUND? v ;;;:v>y ' CHARITABLE AID' BOAED AND UNEM-■;.:?•'.Vi';^--Viv-V.:?^7MBNT-:\-:'" V ''--'--V : '.^':.'' : was 'the: subject .of. a short discussion at -yesterday's meeting-of the' Wei: tagton. and : Wairarapa Charitable-Aid Board. Ihe, chairmanivMr. E., O: Kir]r,.fwho ;introduced.the,subject; said that,.he had been consiaenng..whether.;.the present:state of - things was. bad enough to warrant any. special appeal being made -for funds- in -aid of the 'iinemP'P/«Jv .Some .'years':.ago, ; when;: things; .wore : bad, .an effort -.had been. ii<ade to-got private •subscriptions ..to. a, relief. .fnnd.«: I'heee ■ sub-sonphons;.-ronpledmth the' Government 6ubsidy;: provided "work tbitido a: number: of/casual .labourers.over the .winter'months. Tho difficnlty was.to .see. what should be'done,- and what: worJc could.be put.in hand■•♦<>■,provide employment He;-was- opposed: to relief works on relief work wages, but,:in conjunction with, the City.Council .and.the : Government,"suitable work -might .be.found,. and; the public might be disposed to 'esssaeti;;.;-. Personally .ho favoured putting- tho mendn for half days at full pay,, rather than gmngVielief-.paj. >;.;••;■-':•■■■. : - ; ~'■;,• ..".■';•-■'..--..-■ Mr. Cohen -thought .the-City Council and the Harbour. Board : were doing •"all - that: thoy could. ■ toirolieve;the".situatidn..>lfVthq labour-laws were .relaxed ]a\ .little; it would, do: good,, and' help the workless. vHe knewof people-wbo were iwillinp: to give;.-.tcmp6rary;'work.'to'"'deserving i men, but thcy.'.were. unable lo 'do so because of the ktrades, union' 'laws. . For - instance, a porson: could not , afford'.to .pay. ah old inanon.an odd job the full rates, of demanded 'by. labour' union.: awards, ■:and.ep'- , those jobs , : ,were.';.nbt'.,giy«n:! •'-'.,'-, .Z-];, : . x '.. .-..: ; ;-.,- :.:■:•■>■■'. i : ,Mr.;:'M'nrd6(AVp6infed.Vut.'ihat;i,wneni : :tinie9'' j" wore,dull before, Kclburno Park.work was.put in Imhd:'. There were'ino union , wages th«n, and thework.helped, the unemployed, a great deal. .";.-The." Chairman:,"That'.work was-done at' ss. perxday.'jf I' remember rightly , ;"-:.VAs' he , had. ■Baid»" he "was' against relief wago& .'• Tho Government would ..give , , a: ■'£! for:£ subsidy, tho. .board v:boing;.entitled to.a; subsidy .'of -Msl in ,th'e; : j2.,for.;'voluntary .contributions.* ■ : -A : :}.~;., ■; /■. Mr;.;CohenY; "1 , ., am "afraid ybu ■' cannot expect. very; muclr:in . tho way. of contributions from the. public. so bad.in:the city that .busmres people have difficulty in meeting their obligations:"-; _-: •;.;;:.:..,■:' :':Mr v Murdoch.said:that : he krieiv of'.a number of;.cases-whero-unemployed- men , could have beensiassisted:-but for '■ the 'labour: laws. 'One had'to ho very cautious, or: he would infringe 'tKo labourera'.- award by giving; a gardener an odd labouring job,.and so on. > '■ ' ■ ..' ~/',.. :,'. ifr.'Morrah said that tho City •Council'--was' at-present "pushing on : all the ; work possible.:It nad'a'.lafge.jnuraber^of.men'.on .different works, but'there Jwere , not a great many, works thatj.could, ,be ;gbne. f on-with... ;The ,Kilbirnie BeCTeation..Groimd; wae 'one work, but,: as in otter icasosi: there.wEre' no .fnnda in hand for it? at ..present.',: , :!:'- : ;;-' ; I::"-'; -,i • .';."V.'; '::.">■':''" ;. ■ : .'■ V;The ! :' ohairman.iadmittedi that-;this' was 'a' mubh-needed work); sThoboardihowever, could not epend; private/subscriptions,- 'and , the Gov-' erhmentj subsidy, on work taken in hand by tho ,City..Council for the ibenefit iof ; .the ratepayers. 1 ,-He .wanted..to know : if thero was.-any .wprktho.Citv.Cpunoil.could'ba asked to.piit in' hand -'at' a . bheaper, rate: than it could. do the workiitself.".The nien could; puts dhjeuqh work,.and. the:balance, above the reguf lar rate,;"could, : perhapß,-be made" up , ':out.; of .the .fund; It" the board.'desired ■ it,' ho' would prepairo .the. way.':by having ;a : conference on-the.'subject-..with, the : Maybr. : At- present ho' was •iipt .able to: throw light: on the subject, .but,; - seeing, that 6o' many' people, required assistancD,. he .certainly,-thought.vtha't: , something'.should :be done. .:'.'■■• ,- :;;',• '-I, :,..■:, .'-. : Thftymatter. ;-.waa • left; in : tho.-. hands .'of i the chairman :to.■ confer .ivith the..Mayor,: and as-.-certain: if there was , :any: method of affording wprkA:::.v; : :-,'- ;V-/ : ,,:- v .: y\::■'■:.■■ .I^';',: 1 ..•':-." - ; -.-; ; i

THE POSITION IN AUCKLAND. (By Tclograph.-Specia.l Correspondent) ' Auckland, Juno,24

: v.'Beprcseiit&tiyca 'of-tlicj'' Auckland .; unqn ployed'' have waited ion the Town Clar, Wilson). withi tho object of as certaining whether there is any likelihood p work , ; , :being ■ provided '.. for., them-in;.or. neo: the.'.tnty;; -v'rhey; stated, oc oasibned ;by\the;'lack..of work was becoming very, acute, especially, in .regard :,to marrioo .iaan.; c'Ono' many :it was stated; .had gono, to .tie .length; of -pawning' his 'wife's.' wedding ring in order■■ to,tide pvor ; tho..immediate necessities of the family.. ,:■'•'. •':." '■ '■ : '-., ", ■'

Tho men who were present stated that they deprecated anything in tho nature of a public "demonstration, hut they were extremely anxioub to obtain work Ihe spokesman of tho party stated that on tho previous day ho had made an inquiry as to whether relief; could ;bo ' obtained from the Charitable Aid Board in order to meet tho necessities of those who were reported to bo on tho verge of destitution. Ho had been informed, howevor, that the Charitable Aid Board did not exist for tho purpose of affording relief to able-bodied persons (By Teleffraph -Press Association I Auckland, Juno 24. Inquiries made to-day show that there 13 a general slackness hero in tho building trades. Those out of work mcludo about 100 carpenters, 50 painters, and a number of plumbers, plasterers, and bricklayers. It' is stated that about 200 labourers are idle, and upwards of 50 member* of the Hotel and Restaurants' Employees' Union are out of employment, as well as a. number of enginednvcrs, ironmoulders, and others 1 BUSH-FELLING. Chrlstchurch, June 24. Tho officer in charge of the ChnstchuTch Labour Office is prep-irinß to send some unemployed to the North Island to tako up tho bush-felling work offered by tho Government as soon as advice has been received as to the number of men who can be placed. A selection will bo made-from the applications which may be received. - THE DUNEDIN UNEMPLOYED. I ' Dunctlin, June 24. Work has been offored to all married mon who have mado application to tho. Labour , Department at! Dnnedin, and somo of tho i most necessitous cases among the singlo men 1 have been provided for. Tho City CorporaI tion found employment for sixty hands.