LACK OF WORK

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 54, 27 November 1929, Page 17

LACK OF WORK

POSITION AT LOWER HUTT POLICY OF RAISING LOANS NOT LIKED “The question of unemployment is causing the Lower Hutt Borough Council considerable concern, the council ieelnin it cajnot continue its late policy ot ing loans for relief,” stated a i’. e P 01 L sented at Monday night s meetin» Lower Hutt Borough Council. ine tory of the present situation is bneuy as follow • tTiil-fr lio“Some four years ago Lower Hu gan to expaid rather suddenly, a heavy programme of works was c - menced. Ample work was available all local men, and many from adjacent areas, Wellington, and even i« rl afield, drifted in and participated in the work. In view of the apparent ceitainty of permanent employment many of these outside workers moved into tbe b° loU “. and became residents. Many others. attracted by similar possibilities also- oc came residents, and so, very g l ’ a( J ual , y ’ ‘ considerably greater population ol lab ° ing type than the borough could accommodate with permanent work was c^®' I .’, “As scheme after scheme was brought to its conclusion work became m°re «inicult to obtain, and the earnest endeavour to support the G ment’s policy and lead, raised loans tor the relief of the local unemployed during the winter months. Six Loans Raised. “Since 1925 six such loans have been raised, aggregating to approximately £2or 000, and, in addition, the council, wi h the same object in view, has P™ ce ® a< ,* with various works ot. considerable ma., uitude which might, in othei ell ™™ stances, ' have been delayed until L dates. The additional prob em ot B class men, i.e., those incapable, by P sical disability or age, of P e “ an “*"» other than light work, has been an even greater difficulty, for it is extreme y <0 h cult to provide such work consta tly- £ <- council has exerted every ell<lea ? to . do so but, with the exception of an oc casional job, such work has almost peteiCd “It t *is felt that the Government’s attention should be invited to this aspect of the unemployment situation witli a view to some workable, scheme bein„fo mulated, for the council is. at the end ot its resources in this direction. , “The council has also been, foiced to amend its policy in respect to lesiden (ial qualification for such . em P’ < ’ ym ,®"b as may be available. The situation has become so acute from both policy and financial viewpoints that the council has decided it can no longer assume lesion si bility for raising iinemploymeiit loans, and that in future it must have a delimite mandate from the ratepayers before doin e

Government and Local Bodies. ‘‘During a discussion on this subject certain councillors advocated that , Go '’ ernment should make greater use of the local bodies in dealing with unemployment, as it was felt that work of per-, haps greater public utility existed in the cities and towns than that in outlying districts. Such action would, it was thought, lighten Governments burden and abssrb the legitimate local unemployed* The fear was also expressed that tlie present scheme was, to some extent at least, tending to draw men from the land to higher paid work under the Government scheme, , „ , , “Statements have been made, concluded the report, “that unemployment under the Government scheme is about to cease, and disquiet existed in councillors minds as to the treatment of Hutt men who had not registered as unemployed because they had, by the council’s efforts, been kept in employment during the registering rush, but who must, due to the completion of the loan works referred to, shortly be discharged.”