PETONE'S WORKLESS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 8, 9 July 1909, Page 7

PETONE'S WORKLESS.

DEPUTATION TO THE 'MAYOR. Tlio fact that there are a number of unemployed in 'Petone — residents, not birds of passage — was brought under the notice of the Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) this morning, by a deputatiom headed by Mr. A. Evans. Councillor J. Piper, in introducing the deputation, said they represented some forty residents of tho town, unable to obtain employment of any nature. Since yesterday thirty-seven men had signed tha "out of work" list, and of these only ten ivcre single men without anyone dependent upon them. On the remaining twenty-seven men, no fewer than seventy-three persons were directly de-* pendent. As a means of relief, the speaker suggested that more men might bo placed in the quarries, and that when the lower levels in connection with the eastern drainage scheme were reached email contracts for labour only might bo let. Another proposal was that tho work of planting the esplanade between the high-water mark and the road edge be proceeded with. This work, he pointed out, besides affording employment, would protect the esplan.ule road from sand drift. The Mayor, in reply, stated that up, to the present time the borough engineer had been tumble to increase the number of hands, owing to the fact that the estimates were not passed. Now, however, they had been confirmed by tho council. Indirectly, the council was doing much to relieve the pressure; the boiough at present employed soma 105 men, as against forty odd lost winter. Work immediately availibla was as follows : — Cleaning the water tables, metalling the side etreets, erection, of certain picket-fencing, expenditure of Koro Koro thirds to the amount of £54, and the erection of a caretaker's cottage ou the 'Recreation Ground, for which tenders would be called. The •Government, who were responsible for enticing immigrants to New Zealand in the v>nst, and thus flooding the market, should, said the Mayor, take steps to reljeve the pressure -of unemployment. The council he added, had no monoy available at the present time for expenditure on improvements to the esplanade. It. conclusion, he wished to remind the deputation that the council, while it would endeavour to do all possible to meet the situation, had never at any time any superfluity of funds available' Tor special works. Councillor Piper reminded the Mayor that, failing to (secure employment., the men affected must necessarily become a burden ou the charitable aid funds of the borough. As regards the Government, there was any amount of work ahead of it in the .shape of formation of |r roads thiough State-owned subdivisions lin (he diitiict. The land, he added, was of no use without loads. •In roply to a question, tho 'Mayor assured the deputation that he would brinjr the case of the unemployed .before the .Minister for {Labour. ' ~~