THE UNEMPLOYED.
[Per Press Association. ! WELLINGTON, March 20. A deputation of unemployed, accompanied by Mr Duthie and Dr Newman, M.H.K.’s, waited upon the Hon W. HallJones this morning. Dr Newman said that there were a very large number of people out of work, more for this time of the year than he had ever known before. In the past in towns one could always tell men seeking work to go up country and get it, but now it was useless to send men there, for there was no work for them. The Government was discharging co-operative workers, and men had also been recently discharged from the railway workshops, and this was swelling the ranks of the men out of employment. He urged the subsidising of local bodies, who could then assist in finding employment for the men.
Mr Duthie thought the statements by the men showed that a state of distress existed of rather an alarming character. It seemed to him that they must either have work at once or suffer starvation, and this was surely sufficient cause for some interference on the part of the Government. The people of Wellington and the City Corporation had already done a great deal for the unemployed by private contributions and relief work, but they would find that the money contributed by the citizens was always given by the same few people, and he was afraid that they could not keep on contributing ; therefore something should be done by the Government. The Corporation had done as much as possible with' the means at its command to find employment for men out of work.
Mr Hall-Jones, in reply, said that the question of the unemployed must be looked at from every point of view, and in this case they had to deal with the question as it affected the whole of the colony. The unemployed, trouble in Wellington, he considered, was due to an influx of men from the Australian colonies, and he was glad to say that the time was coming when they would have an Undesirable Immigrants Bill passed into law. Referring to the question raised by one member of the deputation, he said that he felt very strongly on the question of eight hours as a working day, and next session the Government intended to deal with this question. Wellington was one of the most prosperous cities in the colony, and he was pleased to see that, despite the large influx of population, and notwithstanding that the movement had been organised for some days, there were only some 167 unemployed in the city. It had been said that the Government had done little for the unemployed of the colony. He considered that they had done a very great deal. Last year the number of unemployed relieved or assisted by the Government totalled 1667 persons, and of these 853 were in Wellington or came from Wellington. The figures for the four chief centres were —Wellington, 853 men, with 1734 persons dependent on them, found employment; Dunedin, 329 men, with 1087 persons dependent on them; Auckland, 245 men, with 781 persons dependent on them; and Christchurch 235 men, with 693 persons dependent on them. He said that he would consult the Minister of Labour and see what could be done to relieve cases of immediate distress.
A meeting of the unemployed was held subsequently, when it was decided, owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the reply given by the Minister, to continue organising, and to appeal to the public for assistance.
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Bibliographic details
Lyttelton Times, Volume XCV, Issue 10912, 21 March 1896, Page 6
Word Count
588THE UNEMPLOYED. Lyttelton Times, Volume XCV, Issue 10912, 21 March 1896, Page 6
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