FEILDING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 4, 4 December 1931, Page 8

FEILDING

UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE. The Mayor (Mr C. E. Taylor) presided at a meeting of the Feuding Unemployment Committee yesterday afternoon, there being also present Messrs Collins, Smith, Clark, Jones, Hay, Harding and Rev. Air Copeland. A circular letter was received from the Unemployment Board in connection with its provision to allow local bodies to employ men on farms under scheme No. 5, the cost of such work to be borne in the way of rates. The Mayor said that the Fending Borough Council had not yet discussed the matter, but a committee of the council had inspected the river protection work required on Mr Thompson’s property on Kimbolton Road and its findings would be discussed later. The Mayor had no recommendations to make, but the work he had spoken of was certainly one for attention and would be put under consideration by the Borough Council. The instructions in the letter were more for local bodies and there seemed nothing the committee could do. No comment was made by the members and the letter was received. The town clerk reported •on the unemployment position in Feilding and the grants made by the board and,in commenting on it, the Mayor said that the position was that the grant was always about 25 per cent, short. In reply to Air Smith the Alayor said the work was allocated among the men as fairly as possible and restrictions made where they would be felt least. . , Mr Harding said that no married man had yet been turned down for work, and when possible any restrictions on them were made up later. Air Hay said that the work given to married men would average about 21 days per week. . The Mayor stated that the position was being very carefully controlled by the executive officers, and in comparison with other centres the unemployed in Feilding were receiving favourable consideration. Air Clark, postmaster, reported on the number of registered unemployed, the figures varying between 134 and 121 a gradual decrease being shown owing to the freezing works having commenced operations. Air Clark referred to reports he had received of single men being engaged at the freezing works and wondered if anything could be done to replace them with married men. Air Jones said ,the committee could do nothing in this matter. The works were now under different control and,' owing to the throwing out of employment of many of the present owners’ hands through the destruction of their works at Pakipaki, certain foremen had been appointed from these works to the Feilding works and had brought their men with them. Air Jones stated that in the fellmongery alone about six young Feilding men had been replaced by Hawke’s Bay men, and practically the same applied in the casing department. There was nothing that could be done in the matter, Air Jones thought. The Alayor agreed wi,th Air Jones, the meeting then passing on to consider applications for work.