UNEMPLOYMENT ACUTE

Evening Star, Issue 20671, 19 December 1930, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT ACUTE

ANOTHER DEPUTATION TO MAYOR MONETARY RELIEF SUGGESTED FOR CHRISTMAS STRAIGHT-OUT GRANTS WANTED FROM UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD The plight of the unemployed in .Dunedin is not improving, and every day recently deputations have waited upon the mayor (Mr R. S. Black) to see if relief can be obtained. Again this morning there was a large gathering at the Town Hall, Mr J. W. Munro, M.P., leading a deputation of about two hundred. “ There is quite a big crowd of you,” said the Mayor, “ but I can’t say I am pleased to see you. I quite understand your viewpoint. Things are certainly going rather slowly.” Mr Black went on to say that as a result of the deputation that waited upon- him yesterday he sent a telegram to the Unemployment Board at Wellington pointing out that unemployment was acute, that the City Council could provide work if it had the money, and that No. 2 scheme of the board was futile. No reply had yet come to that telegram. He had told the deputation that the job of members of Parliament was to let the Unemployment Board know that if it could not find work it should find something upon which the men could live. He knew that the task of the Unemployment Board was a difficult one, but he thought it should mako straight-out grants to the big centres where unemployment was rife. The Hospital Board had made a grant of £2OO to the City Council, said the Mayor. They hoped they would bo able to get a two-to-one subsidy from the board for that. The council could put on ten men this afternoon and ten men to-morrow morning. In regard to the No. 2 scheme of the hoard, a private individual could employ for a week a man who had not paid his unemployment levy. He thanked the members of the deputation for-their orderliness and their patience. He knew they were going through a terrible time. At the same time ho would like them to appreciate his point of view. _ As mayor ho was having a difficult time, and it hurt him personally very much to see tho city and the country in such a bad way. Ho felt that the members should stress the seriousness of tho position and even go so far as to ask that Cabinet bo called together to see if something could be done. Leaders of labour unions should also como forward as leaders and insist that the money raised for tho Unemployment Board was spent in work. Tho City Council had no money to pay out. Its revenue came from rates, and if an extra rate were struck it would take at least two months to get tho machinery in order to do it, and then tho ‘chances were that they would not get the money because people would not have it. The mayor next pointed out that wool was down in price, and that some fewer millions of pounds were coming into tho country _ than formerly. America was also in a bad way, a number of banks having failed—a position which also caused great difficulties iu other countries. It might help tho position if the Government were to establish camps in the country, and give tho men land free to till. He know the position was desperate, and he thought wq had not yet got tho worst of it. Making wild speeches and playing up would not solve tho problem. The winter had yet to be faced. He hoped the Unemployment Board would tackle the thing in a big way. It was the biggest thing New Zealand had over had to tackle. Mr Munro asked if more men could net be put on for one week with tho money from the Hospital Board. Tiie Mayor said he did not' know yet what the job was. He had asked the chairman of the Works Committee to get into touch with the engineer to see how the money could be used. At prei- .. .... - sow ir the amount would bo 1 subsidised. As the mayor, said Mr Black, ho was in the/ position of a father of a family who could not give his family what they asked for. Mr R Harrison asked, if it would not be possible for the £SOO allocated to Dunedin, if private people would not provide employment, for that money to be handed to the relief depot. A member of the deputation asked if the mayor thought halt a loaf of bread; a week, which was all he could get from the relief depot, would keep a family of five. Mr J. Robinson said that everybody seemed to be adopting the line of least resistance. The Government pushed tho responsibility _ on to, tho Unemployment Board, which had nob yet commenced to function. The Mayor: Oh, yes it has! Mr Robinson said it had not functioned much in Dunedin yet. The promise had been made that a certain amount of money would be spent _ to give men something extra for Christmas. There were only three and a-halt working days left before Christmas, and it appeared that there was work for only twenty men, and yet there were over 200 men in the deputation. He had been told by two menibers of tho local Unemployment Relief Committee that their hands were so tied by red tape that they could not do anything The men wanted the promise given by the board carried out, so that they could get something extra for Christmas. Mr W. Batchelor said tho mayor had stated that he was like the father of a family, and if asked for something ho could not give it to them. He (Mr Batchelor) had been in _ that position many times, but anything that liis family really needed, such as a doctor, he had always been able to supply. He did not owe a penny to any person in tho world and he hud had worse times than the city was in at present. The City Council was the _ father of the citv, and they had a sick city, and it was up to the City Council to find work. It was the duty of the council to supply work and find the money afterwards. , . , The Mayor; The last speaker is m the happy position that very few are. Ho owes nothing and ho owns a motor Mr'Batchelor: I did not ask for individnaiities. Mr Black has a motor car also. _ , , The Mayor: Ices, and ho owes some money, too. Mr Batchelor: Do not bring in any personalities. I have a motor car and I have paid for it, I do not owe a O’Donnell said that tho men would like the mayor to fulfil the promise he made. He agreed with Mr Harrison that the money should be given to the relief depot. They must not have men and women hungry. They did not want half a loaf, they wanted

J \ a full loaf. The unemployed did uoft want, any half-measures. _ They wanted full measures, and the time was coming when they must have them. Ho asked the mayor to make a special appeal to have the £SOO put into the depot to provide food for the people who were hungry. Mr Munro said that as a member of Parliament he wanted to impress upon the mayor that a telegram from tho mayor of the city carried about ten times as much pressure as a telegram from him, even though he was a member of Parliament. If Parliament wera called together to-morrow it would not interfere with the Unemployment Board. Unfortunately the Government had dodged its responsibilities before tho board’s machinery was fully in operation to provide work for the men. He thought the suggestion that tho £SOO should be given to the relief depot should be presented as forcibly as possible. to the Unemployment Board by the mayor. He would rather see 100 men employed for a week than 50 for a fortnight or 25 for a month. If they could get a 2 for 1 subsidy on the money tho Hospital Board was providing that would mean £6OO could ba used to give men work. The Harbour Board was employing 30 men, and aa endeavour was being made to employ another 30, He knew that the City Council could \not finish up the financial year with an overdraft, and ha suggested that an endeavour should be made to get the Unemployment Board to bring it before the Government toi see if a local body could have an overdraft at tho end of the year. That,of course, required an amendment ofi the Municipal Corporations Act, which could not be carried out at once. During the next session of Parliament, whenever that might be, Ac " be amended along those lines. He had never been out of work, but he could visuaJise position of tiio msn at? the present time. He hoped the mayot would keep pressing away at the Unemployment Board, and he would do his bit., too, so that the position in Dunedin would be impressed on members of the board. ■*».

Mr Harrison said he wished to mention another matter, and that was that there was no provision whatever being made for single men. If they got assistance for the depot it would be giveu paly to married men with families, and it would be the same with the Hospital Board money. The present position was demoralising, and some provision should be made for single men. i of the deputation said that a lot had been said about sustenance and food. There were many other necessities, however. They wanted money to pay the gas bill, the electricity bill, and to pay for clothing t„. i could not ba Supplied by the relief depots. He thought the £SOO for the No. 2 scheme of the board and the £2OO might ba used to pay the expenses common to them all. “ The man is coming to my place to-morrow to cut off the electr;.eitjv continued the speaker, “ and I will have to try to talk him out of it.”

The Mayor said that those things had been known for a long time, unfortunately. Mr Harrison said he took it that in tf e case of a man who had been in em-i pJoyment for a long time and was now; out of work and unable to pay for the corporation would meet him The Mayor: “ 1 take it the council must do it.” Mr Black added that he would send the telegram to Wellington immediately, as suggested. Another member of the deputation said that recently the mayor had given an assurance that everyone would be fed over Christmas. He did not see that that was being done. A man with a wife and three children—that was himself—was given half a loaf of bread, 2jlb of meat, and Jib of butter. That was for a week. The men had been patient, but they could not let themselves and their children starve. There were big strong men who could not get work, and something had to be done oy the City Council. “ That is where you are absolutely, wrong,” said the mayor in pointing out that it was not the job of the City Council. The only money the council had was from the rates. There were also men coming into Dunedin from outside to try to get work and relief. , Mr Harrison asked that in his wire to Wellington the mayor should ask for a’ guarantee that there would be some- ' thing to distribute from tho relief depot. People must Lave something through the holid": i. Another speaker said that he understood the depot was closing on Decenw her 22.

The Mayor: That is so. The Speaker; What are we going to do after that date until it reopens ? A Voice; Starve._ Another man said that despite tha assurance that they would be fed over Christmas people attending the reliefdepot this morning did not get any meat. They were told to come back on Tuesday. Tho Mayor said that on Tuesday they, hoped to have from twleve to twenty carcasses of mutton at the depot for dis--tribution. That food was not their chief concern, was the statement of another man, who said it was not much good getting food tf they had nowhere to cook it. They wanted either money or work. “ The men have been peaceful fo? long, but can’t be expected to be peaceful for too long,” said another man. The Mayor: That is your job, nofj mine.

Mr Robinson: Would it not be pos-i sihle, seeing that the depot closes down! before Christmas, to give the ,-meit: money to meet their expenses? Mr Harrison: It would be done only, by sustenance allowance. The men are' / entitled to that;

Sir Munro thanked the mayor foil meeting the deputation, and for allowing them the use of the Town Hall. He also expressed appreciation of the men’s very orderly behaviour. They would leave the matter in the mayor’s hands, and appreciated the fact that he would do the best he possibly could to bring pressure to bear on the Unemployment Board.

After the meeting the mayor sent th® following wire to the Unemployment; Board at Wellington:—“A specially largo deputation of over 300 unemployed waited on mo this morning, the third deputation in two days. The position is desperate, and something must be done at once. It is difficult to restrain hungry men. Urgently suggest you telegraph guaranteeing a sustenance grant, so that T • can pay out, say, £SOO t« needy cases to enable them to pay for .. rent and necessities, etc. If you guarantee the grant I will pay out immediately.—(Signed) R. S. Black, mayor and chairman Relief Committee. ” MUTTON FROM THE COUNTRY. .Reference was made to the fact that’ nmtton could he procured from th® country, and lie wanted farmers ta know that if they sent mutton to th® city the railage would be paid.