UNEMPLOYMENT

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 301, 14 September 1921, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT

MEETING THE LOCAL NEED THE CIVIC LEAGUE’S PROPOSALS IMMEDIATE RELIEF NECESSARY The unemployment problem was discussed at a meeting summoned by the. Civic League in the City Council Chamber last night. The Mayor (Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.) was in the chair, and about forty persons were present. The purpose of the meeting was to arrange for the special effort to collect funds at the end of this week. The Mayor, in opening the proceedings, stated that the City Council had decided to raise a loan of £2u,000, but the works on which tills money was to bo spent could not bo commenced at once In the meantime money was required for prompt relief. The object of the meeting was to secure volunteer workers to raise a sum of money for immediate expenditure .This money would ba free of restrictions, and could be spent on important works that were ready for immediate attention. Civic League Activities. Mr. G. Mitchell, M.P., explained what the Civic League had done already, lhe league had felt that immediate action was necessary,- -and that eome provision would have to be made lor the employment of about 500 men. The council had authorised a temporary loan, but this money could not be made 11U " mediately available, and in the meantime some men, women, and children were in actual need. The league s proposals for raising a sum of money for prompt expenditure had been . to a good dead of adverse criticism. The league had asked that people who «>uld afford it should contribute one days nav If all the people who could afford to do this would respond to therequest, there would bo enough money to a good deal of adverse criticism. Th* day’s S had been the idea of a working man, who had sent to the Mayor one day’s pay, with a suggestion that others should do likewise. It was true that some could not afford this g , but very many people could afford it. The league had abandoned the idea of issuing varying badges indicative of the amount of tho contribution. It would, issue a simple uniform badge to all subscribers, regardless ot . amount. He did not agree with those people who refused to subscribe because tho league did not stipulate for a union wage. 'The work was relief work and to say that the man should have no work because a union wage was not offered was like saying that the man must starve because he could not haxe jam on his bread. Mr. Mitchell sup ported, the payment of a higher wage to the man with dependants than to the single man. He added that during the last two days 53 men had come to his office seeking work. These men had 38 wives and 69 children dependent upon them. ... Case of Real Hardship.

He had found that, almost one-fourth of these men were not registered either with tke Repatriation Department or the Labour Bureau. Some of the cases involved very real hardship. Men with as many as eight children were in actual need. One man .had stated that he had eeven young children, and had not earned anything for six weeks. It was quite true that some of the unemployed would -not work. But the league was not proposing to do anything for this class. It was proposing to put work at the disposal of the men who would be glad to take it. . . . . Mr. Mitchell produced copies of collection forms, and stated that he wished to secure as many assistants as possible fsr the special collection on 1< riday next. Dr. A. K. Newman, M.l’., stated that the Rugby Union would meet in a lew days and would arrange for extensive earthwork/at Athletic Hark, involving the expenditure of £3500 or £4OOO. He had another scheme in his mind. Mis experience had been that people were ready to subscribe funds when they were assured that none of it was going to be paid a*way in doles, and that the scheme was simply to provide work for the Hilling men. He agreed that there was a great deal of actual distress, and that special measures would be required November. , ~ , Mr. Mitchell mentioned that the league had received a good deal of advice from people who did not offer assistance. The communication that was most appreciated by the league contained an offer of work or a do^ 10 "' , he league had received about £29 that day in small sums, and it had been able to send nine men to work., , A young man tolj the meeting that it wae tackling the problem at the wrong end. He proceeded to argue in, favour of the "conscription of wealth. Tho Mayor suggested that th® oo r ®‘ marks were not to the point. The meeting could not conscript wealth or amend the social system. It had been called merely for the purpose of devising a method of giving immediate, relief to the men who were out of work. The man, who did not give his name, proceeded to say that the immigration policy of the Government was increasing the trouble. Miners were being told in Britain that New Zealand had openings for them, while as a matter of fact half the mines were idle and local minora were out of work. ft The Mayor objected to the propaganda" being continued at the meeting. Miners were out of work because they had refund to hew coal when it was wanted, Xl had forced the Dominion to buy coal abroad. But all that had nothing to do with .tie meeting! -and discussion along such lines was wpste ot time Tho business of the meeting was to provide immediate assistance for people who were in urgent need of it. Money Required Quickly,

Mr D. M'Laren assured the meeting that the men who had been applying to the' Civic League for assistance were willing workers, enable of doing a good day’s work. An otiort was required to »et in some money quickly.- Married men with'families to support were asking how soon they .could get some work Mr M'Laren urgXl that citizens who could afford to have work done should

ut it in hand now Mt. H. Thomas, on behalf of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, said that the association was coming into touch with many cases of real distress. Good men were eagerly seeking work, and the hardship they and their dependants were suffering was often very great. The association would give hearty support to the league. Members of the meeting agreed to pay wages to unemployed men for the delivery of the subscription blocks. Other arrangements were made for the special collection on Friday next, „ .Mr. .Mitchell made an appeal to working men to drop political differences as far as the effort to provide immediate relief was concerned. Workers were in nctual need, and the occasion called for a united effort It was suggested that the Labour unions should be asked to co-operate. Mr. Mitchell said the league was writing all the unions. The women's organisations were moving in the matter. The Mayor, in closing the meeting, said that a city which was going to send some 10,000 people to tho football match on Saturday, and whjch was buying and selling football tickets at as much ns ja

and JB4 each, ought not to have difficulty in finding the money required to relieve actual distress. He was being forced as Mayor to send workless people to the Cliaritable Aid Board for assistance. It would) be very much better from every point of view to give the people work. ■

MR. MITCHELL’S FIGURES DISPUTED

REPATRIATION DEPARTMENT’S • LIST.

In yesterday’s Dominion appeared l a report issued by Mr. G. Mitchell, M.P., chairman of the Civic League, which included the approximate number of unemployed mon in Wellington. After detailing those who were applying for work at the Labour Bureaii, Mr. Mitchell added 170 from the Repatriation Department. ; Mr. Morrison, who is in charge ot the employment bureau of that Department, stated yesterday that Mr. Mitchell had miscalculated the number of men on their books who would be. likely to take up relief work such as it was proposed to provide. "We make our returns up to the 20th of the month, but whilst during the whole of one month we might have had 170 applicants for work, the number of those calling regularly is between- 70 and B 0.” be said. “A percentage of the others might drop in now’ and again. Then, of those 70 or 80 men, who would probably be available for relief work, at least 20 are partially disabled men, who could not take on the. class of work proposed. If the work wore offering now, I don’t suppose ye could provide more than 50 ablebodied men, capable of doing pick-and-shovel work.” Mr. Morrison spoke for the whole ot the Wellington repatriation district, which extends to Waitara on the West Coast and Napier on the East Coast. Speaking’ more generally on the work of the Wellington branch of the Department. Mr. Morrison said that no stono was being left unturned to provide work for the ex-soliders they had to deal with. During tho month ended August 20 they placed" 109 men in jobs. These were not permanent, billets in all eases, but it was something to keep them going until things brightened up again. They found the greatest difficulty in providing light jobs for partially-disabled men. Naturally. the field of work for such men was restricted, but such jobs did exist, and he would be very glad to hoar from any employers who could place such men.