Grey River Argus TUESDAY,December 16, 1930. GREY UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE.

Grey River Argus, 16 December 1930, Page 4

Grey River Argus TUESDAY,December 16, 1930. GREY UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE.

The latest criterion of the un- ; lehiploynient situation is that the IDomiiiion figures are now 1 he (highest since registration began. |This is not only,, serious in itself, bu,t it is. an ominous .-augury for . tthe coining- year,. when . 1 he ap- ■ iproach of Ihe winter will iloubtlless see greater distres’s, unless, of v|course the new Act has a salutary ■ J t-fl'< •>• I. Usually midsti trim el I ', with Itlie harvestifft;' under Aveigli,’ and tofher rnrtil industrial activity, sees the level of unm'eploymeiit at '.fits lowest, so that, ij is alariiiing 'to,find this .summer the registra,,.tion at its highest. It is, nnt'oriun- .; ately true, moreover, that the re-,-.gisler kept 'by the Labour Depart- - nient is not by any means a reli- - jable indicator, and that the actual number of workfess people is notoriously much greater than "/hat of those registered. While .in some places the adve.nl of special relief works max- have induced Xo-j.ygitster ,who -.had not pre nous ty. '■ 'rfsi-rrltsd . to the • /C praetice, it is very..obvious that i *jlocally a majority—if . not a very .Jgreat majority—of those idle at it-present arc not included. The 8 present registration here is only ' ab6ut fifty; whereas iii the mill'’png industry alone there are hun- ' 'dreds of men idle for the time be?qirig, and many of them, likely for a. l.some, time al legist to remain nneraijployed unless there is a eontini?gent means of earning .something ,-i provided. For 1 his reason, it is iliione too soon that a meeting is I being: called on Thursday to form I a. L'oeal Committee' as - requested i by (he Unemployment Board, and i it is desirable that, a fully reprepseriiative and energetic Committer i shoijld be set up. ..immediately, i Otherwise, the money available hwilll go past our door, so to, speak, p and| be absorbefl in other districts, i At Hokitika a. Committee is alI ready .active, and the workers in i .that, locality who need employl.ntewt are urged to register quickI ]y. The same advice can be given .t here to every worker for? whom I some temporary Work wlnfld be a t help. The sch'eme or fne ißoard is wide enough in scope to enable ait r active Lohal -'Committee to place a good many men, both in. , the town amj. the. country.- The work specified i.s-of a nature-that might indeed remain ordinarily undone _* or be postponed, but the object is 5 to .give employment, in the first and to h’ave jt as useful and m as.- possible in the ~ 'second place. The Board ..is only junking a skirt and feeling its 'way, there is effective eoit will be < enabled to proceed’ more .expeditiously and '’.'ljudiciously with further .measures -'-of a more construct ive u.ature, but * jit expj-.essly say.s that in all of its ? jUiidcrtak-ings the advice -and help ? of Local ('omniittees "will bb ' esi seiitia’lp'and' Ihe sboner there is a L, foiuidat,ioii laid for the eventual K.i.dexelOpment of hs work, the bet-i-tpJijfdT the unemployed ■ and the , generally., o’ information s ’tair :bbst be gleaned' by those on ''"Cii/ ispot, and individual efforts, -toirpthe part, of citizens to give 5 p'phrporary work -jean be best, or-i by a lobal body. ?That the [.easting, orgaausations administer, relief' -should be supported is 6 igisp,,al principle laid doxvn. The g/mjabdiatp.’-idea is that every un/employed worker wjllirig' and able .(.tfor il 'y-ill get some, employment '‘.during this month and next, and /if /Il .avenues are exploited’ this 'ci'd/'an be' attained. s; A list of of work to be subsidised

£ for ,£ is'-given in another .col-, uniii, anil citizens are invited to! offer', work of t-lie approved kind I for 'registered employees; The', Local Committee acts voluntarily,J and the payments .by the. Board are to be, for-labour only. The; Local Committee, is to issue a card to th(< einployei: stating the maxi-: mum.,subsidy, available . and adyis-, ing him of the name i and particulars of the man sent to him for the work offered. The. dmplojree also signs the card, and when the tyork is dono,.tb<3 employer as well signs it, certifying that, he dias paid the worker. a. . certain, tvage,' The . worker ..then brings the card to .the Ctminiittee; and pile .rtovi i niiieiif officer (here the Labotif Department represeutawilLmake out-a. voucher, for .'the subsidy due, and certify it as correct for payment by the Post ,Office, .attaching tb it. tlie original J card. .The Conynittee can. arrange |to have-sub-committees at the jSmaller-’places' in The''district": It iwili be notified from time to lime, f.by thp. Boa.id ,ot‘ the amount of subsidy for 1 he district. One reason [for urging registration -of all un,employed at once,.is that these .of . .subsidy are to be I based.primarily on The iiumber of unemployed who arc registered { in ,the place. Subsequent allocations will be made as 'required. -The Committee is to decide whether all the works offering, or iVvhat proportion of them,.shall be subsidised. The works have to be completed by the end of next month,, but the t 'ommitt.ees may be expected to;'serve'furl her useful functions later on; ApplicaIlions for Work are to go to the ('ommi'ftee, which Will aef conjunctionwith the Labour .Departintentofficer. There certainly are I many men, here who. , could be I benefited .under .the scheme, and iit is far the Committee and the .citizens .generally tp cb-operate hejlively to. provide' the Work necessary...,,