CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 October 1926, Page 6

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

MOTOR CYCLIST’S MISHAP.

(Special to “Star/’) CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 21. The decision of an employee of the Lane Electrical Co., Ltd. to take a motor cycle into a city garage in Gloucester Street, is likely to cost him, or his firm £l2, the price of a plate glass window. This morning, shortly after 8 o’clock, he drew up in front of the garage, but afterwards decided to drive his motor cycle and side chair through the main door. Be started the ehgine and was about to swing round, when the machine swerved sideways. It leapt the kerb, narrowly missed a telegraph post, buzzed towards the side of tpe building, and crash! Approximately £l2 worth of thick plate glass was strewn on the pavement. The driver was unhurt, but his machine suffered from the loss. of paint and by dents. In the opinion of bystanders, the slipping g! the driving chain on the motor cycle caused the driver to lose control.

“SHANGHAI” AND DECKS. One Sunday morning, an expert in the manipulation of a “shanghai” was seen casting bread upon the waters ot the Avon, and from time to time firing a stone from the weapon into the river. The bread “returned after many days,” for some of it furnished an exhibit in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon, for the benefit of Mr IL I’. Lawry, S.M. The manipulator, of the “shanghai” was Robert Crouch, who was charged with taking or killing ducks during t|ie close season, on October 3. and with using the “shanghai” to the annoyance of persons on Cambridge Terrace. The informant said that on the morning of October 3, he saw Crouch throwing bread into the river, shooting at the ducks with his shanghai. Witness considered it his duty to ring up the police. Defendant said there were no ducks about. He was merely showing his boy how to shoot with a shanghai. Be was shooting stones into the river so there would be no danger of hitting passersby. The Magistrate said that Crouch was evidently throwing bread to attract the ducks. He fined defendant 20s with costs on each charge. Crouch was allowed three months in which to pay the fine.

UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM. The difficulties which the Public Works Department has had to contend with in the efforts to pt ox ide relief work for the unemployed were explained to the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee to-day, by Mr W. McNamara, clerk for • the Department, Christchurch. Mr McNamara said that when the unemployment difficulty arose, the Public Works Department agreed to co-operate with tin commit- . tee by finding work in tin country. The Department could nor provide work in town, but it found, it as near the city as possible. Many of the unemployed found jobs at Cashmere Hills. The Department had done all it could to help the men. It had employed about 300, and expel ded abo' I £6OOO in providing relief work. Some of the work in the -country was still in hand, but, with the exception of Menzies Bay, the Department found it could not keep the men on the jobs. At Springfield, the men were employed on day work for the first week, or so. until they got settled. They were then engaged on co-operative contracts, but as soon as the day work finished, about 50 per cent, would find, all sorts of excuses for leaving the job. Some applied for work at Puhi Puhi, which had been the Jonah of the job ever since it started. At first, single men were employed there, but later work was given to married men. “Unfortunately,” said Mr McNamara, “the quality of the men was very poor. Those in charge had great difficulty with them.” Some had never done any similar work before. Some were feeble men, and others very youthful. Few objected to work of any kind. Many men not only, came back to the city, but persuaded others to come with them. The camp was never full. Mr R. B. Owen said that there were quite a large number of deserving fellows among the unemployed, whom it was a pleasure to help, but, on the other hand there were a lot of loafers. Ho considered that records ’should be kept of the men, so the sheep could be sorted from the goats. Loafers were affecting the chances of the reasonable men. They should keep a list of men who left jobs without good reasons.

Mr E. 11. Andrews said that there seemed no doubt many men left work in the country with the idea of getting jobs starting in the city. “It is no good helping fellows who won’t help themselves.” said Mr C. IL Hewlett. “We want to help the men who want work.”

The committee expressed its thanks to Mr McNamara for attending the meeting and explaining the position.