MILLERTON NOTES

Grey River Argus, 31 March 1932, Page 7

MILLERTON NOTES

(Ouz Own Correspondent.) The local mine worked four shifts during last week, and is working again on Tuesday, with prospects for a few more days. The weather during the Easter week-end was of the worst kind for a holiday period, although the holiday spirit is conspicuous by its absence these days. On Monday it cleared and was ideal throughout. The Bowling Club took advantage of the good spell and played a progressive doubles match during the day. Messrs D. Mur* ray and W. Innes won, gaining five games each. On Saturday the body of Hughie Sharp was laid in its last resting place at the Westport cemetery. The sympathy of the residents on the Hill is extended to his widow, in her bereavement and the struggle ahead of her in bringing up through life the young children left behind. The Union was represented at the funeral by*the President and Secretary, and the Medical Association by the same officials. The effects of the depression played a big part in bringing on the fatal illness of deceased. By continual worry and undernourishment ho was not strong enough to throw off the attacks of the illness. Workers know where the blame lies for these happenings, and do not want to forget it either.

The local football clubs of both codes are finding it a hard struggle to gain the necessary finance these days. The Rangers Rugby Club held a dance in the large hall on Monday evening to try and raise funds. To run three teams will mean a big effort, but it is to bo hoped that the necessary money is raised. It will help to bring some brightness to the township. In the case of the All Blacks Soccer Club, the difficulty again is the lack of finance. The young men have not got enough to buy the required rig-out, and travelling expenses are a big factor in these districts, the opposing clubs being so far away. The spirit of sport and recreation is here among the youth of the working class, but the system does not allow them to indulge in the games for health and pleasure. The Secretary of the Buller Hospital Board has stated that he has not the power to distribute relief to the unemployed during the week when no pay is available. It is imperative that the attitude of the Hospital Board should be given publicity. Here we are faced with a situation where the Government practices economy by rob- : bing the unemployed of what they ar? entitled to according to the Act; cutting down the single and married men (two shifts instead of three for mar ried men with up to two children). The attitude taken up by the Hospital Board indicates that they are in favour of that policy. If they are nor, then it is their duty to come along and grant relief during the off week for the unemployed. They may answer that they canliot do it, and also that they are not responsible for the unemployed, but the correct and consistent policy doing justice to the workers is for them to grant relief during the off week and place the entire responsibility at the door of the Government for any debts. If we cari form an opinion from statements made by certain members of the Board, it seems that they are just as much concerned in getting the unemployed to accept the semi-starvation conditions as the Government is. As stated above, the only practical way of giving the. lie to what appears to be a tacit support of the Government’s policy is by boldly coming out in favour of the un employed, granting relief during the eff week, and telling the Government quite frankly that as far as the Hospital Board are concerned, they are not to operate a policy of starvation even at the. dictates of the Government. It is by the local authorities pursuing such a policy that they will help to rally the workers against the present policy and force the Government to find some other way to balance the budget.