THE UNEMPLOYED

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 154, 30 June 1926, Page 9

THE UNEMPLOYED

A LYTTELTON EPISODE

DISAPPOINTED SEEKERS.

(By Telegraph.).. (Special to the "Evening Post.")

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day

Unemployed who visited Lyttelton yesterday, attracted by reports of a shortage of labour on the wharves, got little reward for their pains. About fifty men took an early train, and arrived at Lyttelton before 8 o 'clock, expecting to get in a full day's work. However, they found that after the regular watersiders had been provided for,, there was not much for newcomers. The unemployed men waited for some time, always on the look-out for work. After about an hour it was decided to engage men to load meat into an overseas vessel. Six of the waiting unemployed wero given work, and the others were about to be put on when someone called out, "Stop, there are some union men coming." The union men referred to had just .finished work on another vessel. These men were engaged. The morning wore on, ant 1 soon it was too late to employ the labour of fifty of the men who went to Lyttelton. Only seven were given work. The remainder returned to Christchurch out of pocket to the extent of 2s 3d each. One man, in his conviction that* work was offering, had bought a weekly ticket. In reference to the unsuccessful attempt by the unemployed to secure employment on the Lyttelton wharves, an employer of waterside labour says that the trouble was caused by lack* of cooperation between the unemployment organisation and the shipping companies. The real shortage of labour at the por': occurred on Monday, 'when there were vacancies for two hundred men, and not on Tuesday. CLOSING OF FLOUR MILLS. In, connection with the trouble in the flourmilling industry it has been stated that in any case the mills would have had to close down sooner or later, as on account of the short harvest there is not enough wheat in the country to keep them going until the new harvest is ready. This is probably correct, but if the millers could obtain the wheat that still must be held somewhere in. the country they would be able to. keep their mills going probably for two or three months yet. By that time, no doubt, tho worst of the present unemployment position would be over. Tho closing down of mills at present and during the coming month will accentuate the already difficult problem of finding work for many men in the city who are unemployed.