UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Evening Star, Issue 20486, 17 May 1930, Page 12

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

TO HIE EDITOR Sir, —"When 1 agreed to accept the position of secretary ' tho Unemployment Committee-, I - had no idea of the job I was undertaking. In* the past much of the material I have written and its application, and the deductions to bo drawn therefrom, on the problem of unemployment, have been in some degree on the theoretical plane, and would have to be tried out, as it were, by a practical illustration before one could actually say whether tho alleged benefits would accrue as a result. But this job has brought me right up against the practical results of unemployment in a way never before experienced -by

me to such a degree, in the form of men, women, and children asking i to have the pangs of hunger relieved, < and something to wear and something l to burn to keep them warm, and a i place of shelter from the elements out- i side. In other words: Rood, cloth- J ing, fuel, and shelter. ' To me tho position is simply this: i If they cannot get work, then .y are denied (under the present condi- i tions) the procuring of these four i absolutely essentials to help them in < a p • state of health and wellbeing. The question then arises: Are wo in a position to guarantee this? No. And why? Simply through lack 1 of proper organisation in the ordering : of our living conditions by phicing I material factors before human life, ( thereby impoverishing the latter, and : causing untold r : sery and mental i worry, which must react, and have a very prejudicial eff; t on the future i generation. So here to mo is an immediate situation that must bo met, urgently, before it gets any further out of hand, and that is to stri - to abolish the existing unemployment. These people want. work. ; 'I ’ work is not forthcoming. Then they

“must” bo sustained. This is logical and sensible. Then how is it to be done? We have u public and several private organisations attending to tins in a fashion, but it is inadequate to meet tho enormous demand unless greater powers are exercised to pro-' vide a very much higber_ standard of relief than is at present-in operation. This seems to me to be imperative and must bo faced. The sufferers must demand, and keep on knocking and demanding, of those in authority til! some greater measure is forthcoming. Since you published extracts from some of the enormous number of 'otters I have received, this will probably have some effect in foe ssing a little more attention on what might, couh and ought to be dqne in the ship of creating an atmosphere of desire to assist in some way, on the part of all who are in a position to do so, making the hope of bringing into being a central and auxiliary depot, where assistance would be granted to those applying for it.— 1 am, etc., P. Nkilson (Hon. Secretary Unemployment Committee). May. 10,