THE UNEMPLOYED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 583, 11 August 1909, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYED.

LOAFING ON RELIEF WORKS. The gangers on some of; the relief works are experiencing considerable difficulty in dealing with men who . have brought loafing to a. fine art. ".This trouble has .been threatening for some tiriie past, and has now developed to such an extent that an • example is being .made of some of the most consistent offenders. . In most casps-the ; 'workers do their bostj and men who are unused to hard pick and' shovel- work 'toil on witli determination, despite blistering hands and other unpleasant results of hard.-.work on men who nave not been brought up to it. The troublo appears to bo with the men who know the work, and know, .as one of the overseers.puts ,it, ""juit 'how much splash' to -make" when the foreman's eye is 00 them. .Whilst - some of the gangs have: done excellent work, others have been far from satisfactory, but the weoding-out ■ process; is ' expected to give satisfaction, both to ; ,the honest workers and to the ■; citizens who are supplying the . money for the relief works. Three men weTe dismissed yesterday on-the ground that they refused- to go to jobs in the country, where work was offered by the Labour Department. Two others were dismissed for loafing, and another was'sent to 1 the right-about for getting drunk; _ ' - The latest subscription to The Dominion list is £1 from "Otaki." (By Tolcsrapli.—Press Association.) Christchurch, August 9. A party of twelve men was dispatched by the' Labour Department this morning to work on the Cass-Bealey section of tho Midland Railway. ' Work in connection with the contracts recently let by the'Selwyn County Council for the clearing of several ■ reserves of gors-e and wattle' has been" commenced. Some 'men from, the city have;gono on these contracts, but" it', is stated- that they did not belong to'the' unemployed class. ' There haVe/been registered to date at,the City. Council/office the names of 307. men who aro out of work; "and of this number 151 have' got employment on relief 'works. Of thirty-eight' men whose names appeared on the', la!test.' posted ' list ' sixteen. have taken work. Others may have got work'elsewhere.