PLAIN SPEAKING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 124, 30 May 1927, Page 10

PLAIN SPEAKING

UNEMPLOYMENT QUESTION

DEPUTATION--TO. MAYOR

NOT A PARTY MATTER

(By Teligraph.) (Special v the "Evininf Pttt.")

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. "Some of tho remarks you made arc unnecessarily offensive, and don't; lead to anything. As you have spoken very plainly, I intend to speak very plainly in reply," said the Mayor, the Rev. J. K. Archer, this morning, in addressing Mr. Hills, the foreman of the gang of^ unemployed, who were engaged on river improvement work last week, but were paid off on Saturday morning owoing to the money running out. Mr. Hills and eleven other men waited on the Mayor for the purpose of discussing] the unemployment situation with him. ' Mr. Hills said that the deputation consisted of the men who were employed on river improvement work near the Carlton Bridge, and who were thrown out of employment through what he considered the City Council's inactivity. The gang was- one of tho most efficient to be found in Christchurch at the present time, and the money that was be.ng paid in wages was raised by the unemployed themselves. The work was not quite half completed. Thcv considered that the council could have taken, into consideration the fact that the unemp oyed were doing something for themselves, and could have subsidsed the money by £1 for £1. As it had not done so, they considered that jln^V CaSe of mismanagement.. Repeated requests for a subsidy had been side-stepped, and the procedure C Dnf \T CteA °f elected „\t °f tho wage-earning class. You yourself, >_' Mr. Hills continued have definitely stated from time to time before the public that the unemployment question is the most important one before the public so far as this city is concerned. We appreciate your view, and trust that it So the view of the council. We also view with appreciation the fact that the contract for the tupply of pipes has been let to a Wanganui firm/and l till the work ,s about to be placed in hand but we maintain that the unemployment question In the past has not been hasten t^T"" '* ,3h °Uld SIDE-STEPPING AU.EOED. "We maintain that the question has been side-stepped and nibbled at. The usual practice has been to put men on for a few weeks and then put them off for longer periods. This class of relic* is not adequate. Work must ba placed in hand that.will tide the unemployed over the winter. At present it is estimated that there are 600 unemployed in the city." .■•■••. Mr. Hills said a relief depot would be a waste of expenditure. It might be cheaper from the point of view of providing m en with a bare existence, instead of with work, but the genuine unemployed, who were in the majority wanted work and not relief depots. They recognised the fact that when men were out of work for considerable periods they became unemployable, and they wanted to avert such a position arising in Christch'iirch. They also recognised that the council had to be careful in spending the public's money, but they maintained that the unemployment problem must be solved. They con-, sidcred that unemployment was a national question deliberately brought about by the Government to reduce wages, but at the same time they wished to urge that the council should provide work for the unemployed. "We strongly urge the council to tackle the question in a way that the working-class anticipated the council would tackle it," said Mr. Hills. "We have seen what has been done in previous years by councils antagonistic to the working, class, and now we have a council representative of the. working class we naturally look for something greater being done. Sufficient time has elapsed for something very definite to be done. Unless the unemployment question is going to be tackled in a better manner than it has already been tackled, I am afraid a largo percentage of the wageearning class will lose confidence in the present council." He believed that one reason why the council was not doing more was becauiie of the financial stringency throughout the world, but he still, maintained that it was partially solved. The Mayor said that he hoped that Mr. Hills's concluding remarks were not intended to bo a threat. Mr. Hills: "It is never my policy to threaten, neither is it my policy to demand." -' The Mayor: "Surely you don't .suppose that the present council can be forced into doing a thing any more than any other council!" The Mayor added that he had told Mr. Hills on a previous occasion that he could always discuss the unemployment question with him (the Mayor), and he thought that it would have been 1 better- if Hills had done so. . MAYOR DISAGREES. "Personally, I don't agree with your remarks concerning the previous council that it lacked sympathy with- the unemployed," the Mayor added. _"I do not wish to enter into politics, but as you know I was politically opposed to the majority on the previous council; but the last year the council did make an effort to deal with the unemployment; In fact, it was the greatest effort ever made in the history of Christchurch." The reference to the previous council was totally uncalled for. The council never tried to sidestep the question, and was completely in sympathy with the unemployed. "I don't think the question of unemployment should be handled from the point of view of a Labour council. We have tried to make it a citizens' movement, and have set up a citizens' committee so as to treat the matter as one of citizenship and not. one of party. I think we are acting wisely in settting up that committee." Referring to the opening of a relief depot, the Mayor said that he totally disagreed*with the idea that all the wjsdom was.possessed by that little'group of workers. He quite agreed with them that if a relief depot was intended as substitute for employment they did not want it, but those who were proposing to open it never thought of it in that light. There was in the city a proportion of people suffering-through unemployment and other troubles who, if given employment immediately, would not bo free of their difficulties, and the relief depot was intended to distribute things they were in need of. There must be some organisation through which relief could be passed. .