UNEMPLOYMENT AND RATES.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 13, 21 August 1930, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT AND RATES.

(To the Editor)

Sir, —I cannot understand wily all tho unemployed in the borough, have not been absorbed by the opening up of relief works. According to your paper only 20, have been absorbed, and it is only right that the married men wit-h dependants should be dealt with first although the single man has nearly as much responsibility as the married man in that if he buys a home or ii section of land with the idea of getting married the Council does not allow any abatement and insists upon his paying his full share< I know of a single man, engaged to be married, who is. paying rates in respect of an empty section amounting to £8 odd whieii is absolutely '' over the odds. "In my own case my rates have been increased by .niore : than 30/- find at the present* time I anl unabie to get employment in the borough in which I have resided for several years and paid rates although a loan of■ £8,000 for the relief, of unemployment is to be raised which will carry the Government subsidy £2 for £1 making the total £24.000 which ought to be mor>e than sufficient to "provido work for all the . unemployed in the borough at standard rates of pay, and ought to tide the unemployed over until such a time as the Government 's ■.Unemployment- Bill is on the. Statute Book which I hope will be the means of abolishing any further loans required for t-he relief of unemployment,' the' money coming from another channel. Liot me add here, that it is absolutely impossible for the unemployed ratepayer to pay his rates if he is deprived of getting employment upon. relief works and ; it is not chai'ity or charitable aid which he is seeking but the ; right to work for the benefit of himself and his dependants, if any. Mr Lysnar, M.P;, w>ho seems to be vefy •hard on the working man, according to his utterances in Hansard, advocated the single man shifting for himself and going into the coivntry for a job and suggested that 9/- a day was quite sufficient for his needs. It might be provided the cost of living and the cost ' p.f .-buying: or rgn^ing a^h.ouse -was , more reasonable than it is at present.; A* the time ./the Reform Government was in power and the: single men reeeiv ed 9/- a day, wh.ich I am,pleased is : now -abolished by the present Government, some of the; single men only received, owing to the wet weather^ 19^2 ■for a week's work, but the landlady I feel sure would vnot reduce t>h.e3o/- ; for board owing to the smallness , of; the amount receiv-ed by him. In re-

ference to-jobs going in the country I would like to quote '.'Digger's" letter ivjiieh appeared in the "Evening Post' of the 22nd July last and -was also quoted by Mr.- Howard M.P. when the Unemployment Bill was .being discussed in the House. "Digger *'*' says:— '"T have just tramped from'the timber country, Ma'minui. down to Te Kuiti, then down to Mokau through Taranaki to Pa-lmerston, up to Woodville, and down the "Wairarapa, and could not get work. I certainly got food and a few shillings for odd jobs.- This is one instance: 'Can you drive a, tractor?'* 'Y'CS.' 'Bight, come on. The tractor wants overhauling badly; can you do it ' 'Yes.' '.Right, set about it.' This occupied the first day, and -the noxt two days were spent in hauling super. (I can taste it yet), I got my food and 5/- for three days' work starting r at seven o'el6ck a.m, and finishing at, half past five 1 o 'clock p.m.' The job 'of overhauling was worth £5 anywhere. 1 Still beggars cannot be choosers. lam I n Main Body man, and hold the D.C.M., 1 medals, also 1914^15 Star, and Victory medal. I-was earning £5 per we^k when the bomb burst, and was promised jmy job when the war over over. This promise was not kept. I have still a few bits of old iron in my carcase. When I eamc home I had a pension of £3 per week. Since I started work this has been reduced until I got nothingl now! But why worry? I was in good work and felt independent. The Leader oi the Opposition is pleading for the returned soldier just now. Wiisct about those who. took up farms and lost everything? I started this week on relief works. I ought to\be ashamed of myseh*, according to one member of the Souse. He recommends 12/- a day. We ,et 14/- and this means if we get a full week in, £3/17/-. My reiyt k £2; I li.r- t'.o miles out of town and cannot get anything cheaper: that leaves £1

IT/- s<, feed my wife, two children and mvtelf. . . .1 have tramped the Island for work during the last eight weeks and cannot find it. I am sober and wii.lt fairly good (health, but not too strong, , as I got one in the back and legs, x"tc m 'Jerry. "I can drive any car oi tractor or petrol engine, also ovortif.ul them, work as carpenter and joiter, hold a river limit ticket, and yet cannot get a chance to keep my :f«miij. in decent food and clothing. I don 'i want charity or a Government job; just the 'right to earn a eomfortablft living." In conclusion I sincerely hope that when the "Unemployment Bill is on the Statute Book the whole condition of t>he workers will be placed en a better footing and the unfortunate bxpeiienees related by " Digger" will be a vhing of the past.—lam etc.,

LIVE AND LET LIVE,