UNEMPLOYMENT

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 263, 2 August 1929, Page 15

UNEMPLOYMENT

RED CROSS RELIEF COMMITTEE The Red Cross Unemployment Relief Committee held its weekly meeting last Tuesday, the Rev. Ingles occupying the chair. . , .. The chairman reported upon the action taken in regard to cases which had appeared before the committee at the previous meeting. Through the committee’s representation, a number of the cases had been absorbed in temporary employment. In one special case of necessity (a family of six, the husband a permanent invalid), the committee had paid the cost of the family’s removal to a more suitable tenement. In another case the family had been over twenty years resident in Wellington. The father had suffered from a nervous breakdown; the son, the only bread-winner of the family, had been recently released from his employment through slackness of trade, and in consequence of this the family was in difficulties. Special representations had been made to a firm on behalf of the son, and it was likely that employment would follow. During the interval between the last committee meeting twelve cases had presented themselves, requiring various forms of assistance. The cases had been looked into, and two had proved unsatisfactory, assistance being, therefore, refused. The remainder had been aided with clothing, footwear, and lodgings. A case afflicted with deafness made application; he had been in a draper’s establishment in another city, but owing to his deafness was retrenched. Assistance was given him in the way of orders for meals, in addition to letters of introduction to local establishments, by whom he had been kindly received, but who were unable to do anything for him at present. A married couple suffering from ill-health were assisted in the way of footwear. Nine new cases for assistance presented themselves for an interview, and were being dealt with. A number of single men, recent arrivals in the city, were applying for aid. These men presented a somewhat difficult problem. Although they were in our midst, more or less destitute, on applying to various agencies for employment, they were advised that not being permanent residents nothing could be done. The committee felt that everything possible should be done to discourage the attraction of unemployed to the city, as the authorities here already had an abnormal problem to deal with. The committee, therefore, found itself in the position of being able to deal with only the most acute cases, as far as assistance was concerned. In the case of married men with families dependent upon them, many of them had been helped in the form of clothing for themselves and members of the family, through the agency of the Red Cross Ladies’ Auxiliary.