OUT OF WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 163, 11 June 1926, Page 7

OUT OF WORK

HELPING LOCAL UNEMPLOYED.

MEETING’S REQUEST TO MR COATES.

TO ENLARGE RAILWAY DEVIATION GANGS.

A meeting, convened by Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., at the request of the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates), was held this morning at the Labour Office to consider ways and means of further relieving unemployment in Palmerston North. Mr Nash presided and there were also present: Messrs B. J. Jacobs (president of the Palmerston North R.S.A.), P. T. Robinson and J. Lowden (local Labour Department officer). The last named tabled a statement showing that up to this looming there were on his list of unemployed 115 married men, with a total of 359 dependants, while on the Mayor’s lint were 20 men with 79 dependants, making the totals of married men and dependants 135 and 438 respectively. There were 37 single men out of work. Of the numbers quoted 30 were cases of men in distressed circumstances, their dependants numbering 123. It was decided, after a discussion, that Mr Nash telegraph to tho Prime Minister a resolution passed urging that more men be employed on the railway deviation earthworks.

DEVIATION COULD EMPLOY MORE MEN.

It was pointed out'by Mr Nash in commencing the business of the meeting, that the Palmerston North R.S.A. had handed £2OO to the Borough Council which gave £l for £1 subsidy and spent the money in employing returned men on borough works. Mr Coates had asked him to call a meeting and form a committee to co-operate with the Wellington organisation. Any such committee, he thought, should be directed from the local Labour Office. At the present time 15 married men were employed on the railway deviation, but the work in hand there could employ another 10 men. “I hope at this meeting that we will pass a resolution asking the Government to increase the number of men at work on the deviation,” he stated. DISTRESSED CASES. Answering Mr Nash, the Labour Department officer said that the men under the heading of “distressed” had been out of work for considerable periods. Some of them had families of six or seven. A number of the cases were reviewed; by Mr Lowden, who when tho position of a Feilding man was discussed, said that he was prepared to go to Feilding and ask the Mayor and councillors there to cooperate with him in relief measures. The position was even graver than was disclosed by the figures cited. He showed to those present a list revealing the position in tho country centres as set out in returns from branch post offices. RETURNED MEN’S POSITION. Mr Jacobs examined the list of unemployed returned soldiers oil the list of the Labour Office at Palmerston North and stated that he would get the It.S.A. secretary to approach them to see what could be done. “We do not want to force the returned men to come to us—we want to go to them individually,” he stated. “During the worst unemployment ' period in New Zealand the Returned Soldiers’ Association provided work for 90 men, but we cannot do that this year on our funds in hand.”

The inspector said that as a Government officer it was not his duty to intensify the position in the minds of the people, but it was serious and caused him a deal of personal anxiety. LOCAL MEN FIRST. After tho position had been discussed, Mr Nash expressed the view that, whatever was done, men resident in. this district should be aided first — Feilding and other districts must arrange their own relief measures. A committee could bo formed of those present to meet rqgularly. at tho Labour Office and direct the most deserving cases to any employment olfering, endeavours to be made to probe all possible avenues of private employment in town, vacancies to he filled from the Labour Office only. Two days ago he had wired Mr Coates about the local position. The Prime Minister now awaited the outcome of this conference, and there was little doubt that, if representations were made that many moro men should be employed on the deviation, something would be done. RESOLUTION PASSED.

Air Jacobs moved, and it was carried, “that we view with alarm the amount of unemployment in Palmerston North, and consider- that, as the railway works have been commenced and work there will be of a productive’ nature, a remedy is easily available by providing more work on tho deviation in order to absorb as far as possible all local unemployed.” It was decided to forward the resolution to the Prime Alinister, to request all local employers seeking labour to notify the Labour Office, and that relief employment only bo given through tho Labour Office. Air Robinson said that, seeing there was a deal of unemployment each winter in New Zealand,— representations should bo made to the Government to hold over public works as far as possible each year until the winter. Palmerston North was one of the worst situated centres of all in the matter of unemployment periods, said Air Lowden, for there was a remarkable paucity of secondary industries here. He could not understand it. Thoso present constituted themselves a committee to meet each' Alonday morning. . It was decided that preference be given to married men and local residents, applications from returned men to the Labour Office to be referred to the R.S.A.