DUNEDIN WORKLESS

Evening Star, Issue 20321, 1 November 1929, Page 1

DUNEDIN WORKLESS

'» NINETY StfEN DISMISSED GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO STATE TOTAL OF UNEMPLOYED A.s a result of a. meeting of Dunedin unemployed held yesterday morning, a deputation of about twenty labourers, headed by Mr R. Harrison (secretary of the General Labourers’ Union) inter-, viewed the Mayor (Mr E. S. Black), who, while unable to hold out any tiefinite hopes, undertook to do what he could. A further■ meeting was held iu the afternoon, when it was announced that the mayor had been unable to secure from tiro Government Labour Bureau any reliable figures as to the number registered, and the following resolution was passed:—“That the General Labourers’ Union take steps to institute an unemployment bureau at the Trades Hall on Monday so that tbo local figures, which lire Labour Department refuses to divulge, npiy bo known.” Last night the mayor despatched the following telegram to the Minister of Public Works Owing to tiro exhaustion of relief loans and othep available funds the Dunedin City Council has been compelled to discharge eighty men from the relief works, and further discharges must follow at an early date. The council has been employing a record labouring staff lor a lengthy period, but must now drastically reduce this expenditure. 1 urgently recommend the Government to immediately provide adequate relief for this district in terms "of the recent promise to absorb all the unemployed. I understand that there are a Substantial number of registratipns here, and these will be progressively increased as the Corporation works close, The matter is urgent, and an early reply will be appreciated.” Mr Harrison telegraphed last night to Mr J. W. Alunro, M.P., a message to the eifcct that all the men on the north road works have been suddenly dismissed, and asking him to inquire into the matter. ' , The answer from Mr Munro tins morning was that the Minister ot Works was wiring for particulars as to the dismissals, and that he (Mr Munro) would wire further’ to-day. Mr Harrison, interviewed this morning, stated that the mayor was quite right in mentioning eighty as the uumbo. - of men discharged by the Corporation. That was the number as known at the time of the'- fust interview vessel day, When coming; away from that interview, however, ho (Mr Harrison), ascertained that ten more had _ been put off from the works near Tahuna, so;that the total dismissed stands at ninety. ■ It was anticipated, Mr Harrison went on to say, that fifty i men would bo given employment on, the Portobello road, but this work is: now beingmarried on by men who have been transferred from other public works and not more than two or three members of the General Labourers’ Union nave been given employment there. The local situation had not been cased fir the past five weeks. There aro at: present about i 150 members of the un.on without om- : ploymont. The union; had tried ’ts very utmost to get ■.from the Labour Office a statement us to the number i of registered applicants; for work, but was met with the answsr that instruction had been to divulgo • the figures. j. i . . In these circumstances, the union • secretary says, there m(nothing for it but to go on with his instructions from the union and open a register on Monday morning so as to compile the rc r cord jhat the Govcrnuent will not supply. ■,■'■■■'■ j i '"■ ' : 1 ':- • j u V 1