OUR UNEMPLOYED.

Evening Star, Issue 11700, 4 October 1902, Page 4

OUR UNEMPLOYED.

The Oitjr soems to fe? thftiteHed with a sprious. cUfficnlry in regard to the fempi>yir*nt of unskilled tabor. At. present there 'is a plenitude- of untrained workers and almost a dearth of any casual empidyment Much of the unenSp'lc-yed labor is represented by reinirned troooei-s, whose former avc'oStidns hayo unfitted'' them for hianimi l&cor, while there eiis 1 no vacancies in their prcper businesses. A considerable number. h<wever, are said to belong to Australia cmen hither by the drought in that sunscorched country. When there is not enough employment for the local destitute, it can scarcely be expected that the Citv will provide outsiders with supererogatory work. This was the oninibn His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. A. Park) expressed :'n a chat with one of our representatives this morning. From v.hat was then said it would appear, that there is a are&t deal nf poverty being induced by the absb'.ute lack of employment. His Worship assured us that the situation W-as one to" cause reflection. During tho past, week no less'than thirty cases had come before jiim for employment; or relief, and ST) per pent, of the cases were genuine, and this is the record of inany previous weeks. All ho has been able to do so far has been to givo about twer.lv or twenty-five men work at the Oorporaribii' quarry, as a temporary means of support, but this does riot suffice. The fact is that over and above these then there are many perfectly willing to work and totally unable to obtain it. Cannot "something be done to find these deserving case's employment.? Only, temporary relief is for there will be ample Work for the men when the new railway and tramway construct ions begin. The men at the Corporation quarry are earning a nieagre. pittance, and in inany cases have families partially and wholly dependent on them. They are allowed to quit stone-breaking if the.y can get work outside, and to return to it when the outside labor exhausted. But there are many for w'honl riot even this privilege is available. "