UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

Evening Star, Issue 20539, 18 July 1930, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.

The Mayor of Dunedin left the Citizens’ Unemployment Relief Committee meeting last night after having, in his capacity as chairman, received a gross insult. Ho was followed out by a number of sympathisers, and those who remained went on with the meeting in a more or less subdued vein. Regret was expressed that there had been a Hare up, but at the same time the opinion was general that it had been smouldering for some time and was really inevitable. As one of the lady members stated: “The’ last few meetings of the committee have simply developed into personal antagonism between Mr Black and Mr O’Donnell.” It has been patent to the public for some little time that things have not been working smoothly. An urgent appeal was made by tbe Salvation Army a few days ago stating that the closing of the soup kitchen seemed imminent, and that the drain on supplies of groceries and foodstuffs had been so severe that the Army relief depot was empty. The mayor’s endorsement of the Army’s appeal was adversely criticised from the chair at this week’s meeting of the Unemployed Workers’ Committee, and Mr O’Donnell added that the only relief depot in Dunedin was at the Trades Hall, the Salvation Army having merely a soup kitchen—which, from a subsequent remark last night, he considers to be ” degrading the people.” Captain Chandler promptly corrected in the Press the misstatement concerning the Army’s relief depot, and so did another correspondent. Though the secretary of the Unemployed Workers’ Committee took occasion next day to write to the Press emphasising that the unemployed workers have a distinct organisation of their own, headed by Mr Bryan O’Donnell, he missed a golden opportunity to admit the injustice done to the Salvation Army by his president in respect to its relief depot—an omission so pointed that it can only be ascribed,to a jealousy most inexplicable under the circumstances. And to what other motive can one ascribe what Mr Petrie’s letter did contain —the differentiation between his organisation and the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee? If it comes to a mere matter of seniority, the Salvation Army has been continuously in the field for very many years.

It may be permissible to give a brief outline of the more recent history of relief effort. As a result of a public meeting called some time ago a committee composed of various public bodies, the Chamber of Commerce, Returned Soldiers’ Association, Manufacturers’ Association, trades union officials, relief workers, and others was formed, and over this committee the mayor presided. Th© committee was a large one, and was composed of people with widely differing points of view, and, under normal circumstances, it might hardly have been expected that they would work together amicably, but the very object of their endeavours —the finding of relief for distressed families owing to unemployment—should have caused them to sink their differences and work unitedly for the common good. On© of .the first points of friction was the overlapping of relief, the Citizens’ Unemployment Relief Committee, . the. Unemployed Workers’ Committee, th© Otago Hospital Board, and various church organisations all having a hand in meting out assistance to those in need. Tho unemployed were not satisfied with the assistance they were receiving, and Mr Bryan O’Donnell was appointed their president and organiser at a wag© of £4 10s a week. While Mr O’Donnell s efforts have no doubt mfet with the approval of the unemployed, those same efforts have not bepn so well received in other quarters, and the opinion has grown up in the minds, of some of the business people of the city who are giving their assistance that Mr O’Donnells presence has done more harm than good to the For that -eason an endeavour has been made to induce Mr O’Donnell to resign Ins position, but that has been of no avail, and the climax was reached at Ipt night’s meeting. From the outset a tense atmosphere prevailed, and it was apparent that both Mr Batchelor and th© mayor were not in pacific moods. They joined issue as to whether the chairman had any power to discipline Mr O’Donnell, and next on the aspersions on genuineness of sympathy with the unemployed on the part of those members of the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee who are not also on the Unemployed Workers’ Committee. In view of this it is not surprising that all those who were not associated with the Workers’ Unemployment Committee left with the mayor. Subsequently it was made quite apparent to Mr Batchelor that he had mad©' a mistake, and both Mr M. Silverstone, who took the chair, and Mr Ralph Harrison are to be commended for the attitude they adopted. Both of these gentlemen recognised that-the withdrawal from the committee of the business men of the city would have an ill-effect on the work they have in hand in the way of raising funds. What tho outcome of the present impasse will be is hard to tell,, but Mr Batchelor should immediately • apologise to the mayor for his outburst. Th© distress in tho city can bo properly handled only by effective cooperation of all tho relief organisations, and all classes of the community should let bygones be bygones if the .result will be beneficial to their followcitizens in n time of need.