AN UNDESERVING CASE.

Evening Star, Issue 20666, 13 December 1930, Page 22

AN UNDESERVING CASE.

TO TUB EDITOR. Sir, —Wo are reading a lot in your paper about the above. “ Common Sense ” seems annoyed that this man is supposed to have spent Ids modest shilling on entrance fee to the Forbury Trotting Club’s Summer Meeting. Why so much publicity? Yet a man can abscond and leave wife and children to be maintained by our Charitable Aid Board. Sometimes years elapse before these men are brought to book, and no one over asks why they are not called upon to pay back to tho Charitable Aid Board what has been spent in the maintenance of their wives and families. Oh, no! On their return they are greeted like the Prodigal Son of old, and very often a nice permanent job is found for them; and so everything is all right again as far as they are concerned, while the conscientious worker is left to unemployment or relief work. What a pity “ Common Sense,” knowing the poor woman shared her groceries with her neighbour, did nob try to find out why she shared them. 1 know of one woman who received meat on one Friday from the Trades Hall, but this woman had no coal for over two mouths, and so a neighbour, whoso husband is on relief averaging about £8 per month (with a young girl also at work), gave this woman half of her coal (which was not much) to cook liov meat, and received a tin of syrup, the only payment she could give in return, being too independent to tako tho coal for nothing.—l am, etc., Lund a Hand. December 13.,

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—lll reply to “ Now Zealander ” I again state as a fact that the man in question made tho statement against the depot to the mayor, and if “ New Zealander” maintains I made threats to the mayor I would again advise him to re-read the article as published. “ New Zealander ” states that the genuine unemployed are fed up with Mr O’Donnell. Quito true. They are so fed up that they are now growing fat on the bill of faro as issued from the Trades Hall depot. I would like to inform ti New Zealanclex* tuo.t 1 have not been round the world without knowing how to obtain passages for so short a journey as that from Dunedin to Christchurch. When “ New Zealander ” seeks the information in reference to the Communist recently sentenced for assaulting tho police in Christchurch, was ho a member of the company mentioned, ho had better write to tho Communist headquarters, whenever that may be. It is unnecessary for Mr O’Donnell to play to tho gallery. He always plays to the lower house. As to that famous suit, I was out of work at the time and helped every man, woman, and child that it was possible for mo to help. I again have to praise Mrs Macdonald for her social work through tbe generosity of tho citizens. When 1 leave Dunedin and the country I shall use my own discretion, and it is not necessary for me to abandon the soap box, which I never use. I have no intention of abandoning the pen. Thanking “New Zealander " for his advice, 1 would suggest to him, as ho is one of the genuine unemployed, that ho should try the Government Labour Bureau for a job, and get a chance of using that pick and shovel instead of going to the mayor s depot for relief. —1 am, etc., Bryan O’Donnell. December 13.

TO, THE EDITOR. Sir, —I do not tako Mrs Macdonald to task for refusing relief to a man who shall I say, has committed a misdemeanour or misuse of money. But if the man in question has done so, his wife and children should not also suffer. I quite know the value of ono shilling, but did this man spend it iu the way mentioned? The rate of wages and tho nature of the work ho did at the mayor’s depot have a great bearing on this question. As “ Common Sense ” must realise, there are numerous people to-day who do not, and possibly never will, know tho lull value of money. There are a lot of people rushing the Charitable Aid Board and relief depots, and they must naturally claim such relief as a right, because they are deprived of the right to work and earn an honest living, through whom? Not tho worker. Does “Common Sense” really believe that unemployment was brought about by shiftlessness and laziness? Yet tho best brains iu Parliament have brought down a Bill to give the unemployed worker a dole. The only method they can find for alleviating distress, taking away that little bit of pride and independence the worker had left—viz., tho right to work and earn an honest living. If “ Common Sense ” would do like tho women he (juotes, share with others, conditions m New Zealand might bo better. All cases dealt with by tho Trades Hall have been investigated, but possibly wo arc slated because wo arc human, and deal with the unemployed as human beings. I cannot imagine for ono moment how “Common Sense ” can speak pf people who have largo families of dirty, untidy children from dirty, untidy homes who sit on the gutters dressed in nondescript garments. Poor children, in the land of milk and honey, “God’s Own,” by tho way! So, too, are tho children God’s creatures and those are the children of men who fought and bled for tho Empire. Wien the public realises that it is time to put in power a Government that will bring down legislation to do away with the slums, and have health inspectors visit the homes, the sooner wo sir’ll he all happy under the ono flag. How can those people apply themselves steadily and conscientiously to work when they cannot get the work to do? Tho vast majority of them are ready to start to-morrow if they arc only given the chance.—l am, etc., Bryan O Donnel. December 13.