APPEAL FOR FUNDS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 5, 5 December 1931, Page 2

APPEAL FOR FUNDS

ALLEVIATION OF DISTRESS. PUBLIC MEETING HELD. The urgency of the need for £IOOO in cash to tide over central relief activities in Palmerston North till February was emphasised at the public meeting held in the Opera House last evening. The methods adopted by the relief organisation were fully explained and a special appeal was made to employees of city firms for a weekly contribution.

The Mayor, who presided, said the meeting had been called to place befor the public the unemployment situation in the city, to define the work of the relief depot, and to clarify any points where misconceptions had arisen. He traced the growth of the Palmerston North central relief organisation. The first week the depot opened 130 families applied for assistance, and sinoe activities had been undertaken an amount of £1604 19s 4d had been expended. Sports bodies had provided £BO Bs, clubs and societies £lO4 4s 6d, concerts, dances and pictures £507 13s lid, street collections £295 6s 7d, and private donations £607 6s 4d. TONS OF FOODSTUFFS.

Three scales of rations were being issued at the relief depot, proceeded the Mayor, who enumerated tho commodities provided. The cost of rations varied from 4s 6d (single men) to 6s 9d, 9s and 10s 6d. Men worked a day for those rations. The Palmerston North citizens had materially assisted under the pound donation scheme. Since the opening of the depot in June 108 tons of food had been distributed to the needy. Included in that had been 16 tons of bread, 12 tons of flour, 20 toils of meat, 25 tons of potatoes, five tons of rice, sago and tapioca, four tons of sugar and almost one ton of tea. There were 1460 men out of work in Palmerston North today and some 400 were receiving assistance. The numbers must increase as the average wage received under the No. 5 scheme was 18s 9d weekly. That indicated that in the past many families had been living upon their meagre savings. An amount of 18s 9d did not go far towards providing rent, clothes food and firing for a family. It might be said that tile people needing help had been improvident. No labouring man with a family of five could save anything. It had been said that many of the unemployed were loafers. The Mayor could say honestly that most were not. It was impossible for the Government under the present taxation to feed the large number of families in distress in consequence of unemployment. There were many men on the road looking for work which was not available. The people were face to face with an enormous problem. Thousands in the Dominion were practically starving through no fault of their own. Was the economic problem really appreciated ? The position was getting worse instead of better, while intellectual lights looked on apparently helpless. The Empire was faced with a problem fraught possibly with greater consequences than any during the Great War. It was fighting for its very existence and for civilisation. The first duty of the people was to those in distress in the city. The man who was able to help and shirked that responsibility was a greater coward than the man who declined dutv in the Great War. A WEEKLY SCHEME.

Employers had been canvassed some months ago and £607 had been collected. An employees’ scheme hud been introduced for weekly contributions towards the funds for those in distress.' There were barely sufficient funds to tide over the Christmas period. The employee was being asked to authorise his employer to deduct any amount, such as Is or 6d weekly or fortnightly from his wages, to be handed over to the relief funds. The Mayor concluded with an extract from the oermon on the Mount.

WISDOM OF HOLDING MEETING. Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., emphasised the wisdom of holding a public meeting. People had subscribed generously but were finding it difficult to continue in the same way. It nad been decided that the public should be acquainted with the actual facts of the case. Unemployment was rife all over the world; all were suffering more or less. It was the duty of the city of Palmerston North to say that it would not let its people want. Nobody desired to see soup kitchens introduced in this centre. The Government had expressed its greatest admiration for tho relief organisation in Palmerston North. Tho Consolidated Fund of the country was providing £1,250,000 by way of subsidy to the unemployment taxation, but it had not been anticipated that such an alarming position would arise. In 1928 there were 2500 unemployed in New Zealand. By November, 1930, the total had increased to 6250; then to 31,000 in May of 1931, and finally on November 9 a total of 52,000. Their average income was 17s 6d per week por family. Besides the 1460 registered unemployed in Palmerston North it had to be remembered that there were constantly in the city 100 to 150 men who had no work at all. •The number of days of relief work weekly had had to be reduced to make the money go round. There was a great responsibility resting on the public at present to those people. The ladies on the central relief organisation at this centre had done wonderful work. Tho Hospital Board, in its charitable aid activities, had to pay the rent for the homes of many of the indigent, sick or unemployed. The appeal had to be made to help the people through as funds were running low. Fortunately, the Government had been providing meat. Was the Central Relief Committee to continue to function? asked Mr Nash, or were the people to be allowed to want? He trusted there would be a quick response to the earnest appeal being made and that ultimately people would be able to say, when times were better, that they had done their duty. EXTENT OF DISTRESS. Mr J. C. Young said the meeting had been called primarily to report how the situation was being tackled, and to discuss it. It seemed unnecessary to attempt to sermonise the people of Palmerston North concerning their duty when real need existed. The deep-seated nature of the distress had not being impressed sufficiently, however, upon the average citizen. Besides’ the registered unemployed there were many other workless people in distress. There were about 950 married men on the No. 5 scheme. Tho calls on the depot to-day were greater than they had been in the depth of winter. ' Many had not sought relief until forced to do so by tho expenditure of their small savings. Probably 600 families were being assisted through tho depot ’ scheme. Twothirds of the personal contributions to the Central Relief Fund at present had been given bv 27 people. Analysing relief expenditure, Mr J C Young stated that 97 per cent, had gone to the unemployed, the rest having gone to meet incidental expenses. Some £1346, or 87 per cent, of the amount received had been expended on provisions and £149 in wages, all for unemployed men. Resources were now exhausted and £IOOO in cash was wanted. The neod

was very clamant, and the quicker the action, the greater the relief- afforded. The committee was now compelled to appeal to the wage earning section of the community for a special contribution of Is, 6d or 3d a week. There were hundreds of single people working in offices and they were in the main not badly pressed. A donation of Is a week to the end of February by 560 working men and office clerks would provide £SOO or half the sum asked. There was not the opportunity to mako a personal appeal to tho employees of every firm, and the committee would be indebted to employers if they would take steps to see that their staffs were approached upon the subject. For the next few months the employees’ contributions would have to be the main source of income. There was no expectation of revenue from concerts and entertainments during the summer. Personal contributions would have to be tho essence of the assistance. Even the weekly threepenny piece wouls be greatly appreciated. There were complaints often made by disgruntled persons, but in 99 per cent, of tho cases there was nothing in them. Many of the unemployed were victims of the slump. They could not all be judged by a few shirkers. There were a few shirkers among those who could help. APPEAL MADE.

Mr B. J. Jacobs said no body of men had been more grossly libelled when described as loafers than the unemployed in Palmerston North. He was 100 per cent, behind the appeal and was prepared to be a personal friend to 95 per cent, of the unemployed to-day. He made his' appeal to the people on their vaunted Christianity and asked them to be true to the doctrines which they had been taught. Mr L. J. Plank urged that more efforts should be concentrated on the pound gift system. Mr A. J. Phillipps stated that one-third of the food distributed had come from that source. About 100 to 1201bs of butter were being received weekly for 300 families. The meeting concluded with an appeal by a lady member of the audience for a spirit of self-sacrifice in the name of Christianity. Her statement elicited applause. The Mayor was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for presiding. GENERAL COMMITTEE.

Prior to the public meeting the Central Relief Fund Committee met. The Mayor presided. Others present were Messrs J. C. Young, M. H. Oram, A. A. Langley, R. Hood, A. J. Phillipps, P. S. Larcomb, J. A. Nash, M.P., Ensign Bridge, Revs. G. T. Brown, J. D. McArthur and Father Herliliy; Mesdaines A. E. Mansford, L. A. Abraham, H. Palmer, R. L. C. Aitchison, Trask and Hayward. Apologies for absence were received from Mrs M. H. Oram and Mr W. R. Kells. Reports were made concerning the work of the food depot and of arrangements made with large firms to allow their staffs to be addressed in order to secure assistance in raising funds. It was reported that funds were coming in freely, and the response being made to the £IOOO special appeal was most encouraging. It was reported that “The Messiah,” to be presented before Christmas, was being particularly well supported. The suggested date for the presentation of tho oratorio was December 22 and it was anticipated that it would be on a larger scale than aver before in Palmerston North. Advice was received that Mr AVix had undertaken to accept lb. parcels at his shoj> in Broadway Avenue for the convenience of donors. Mr L. Id. Collinson was thanked for the use of his shop. It was reported that the primary schools had all contributed most generously to the food depot. The comnittee decided to express its grateful thanks and that no further requests to them should be made in the meantime. LIST OF DONATIONS.

Donations received towards the

Wo acknowledge receipt of 10s from Mrs L. Scott, a donation to tho Unemployment Relief Fund.

£1000 appeal are as follow:- £ s d Previously acknowledged ... 86 8 4 Mr A. W. Akers 2o 0 0 Rotary Club 25 0 0 “Manawatu Evening Standard” 25 0 0 Citizens’ Lunch Club 20 0 0 Mr Caccia Birch 10 0 0 Messrs Millar and Giorgi ... 10 0 0 Father and Son 6 0 0 Miss H. H 1 0 0 Mr A. H. Honeyfield 1 0 0 Mr H. Newport 1 0 0 Mr W. Dimock 1 0 0 Mr J. Hughes 1 0 0 Parishioner, All Saints’ ... 10 0 H. L. Young, Ltd., staff, ... 7 6 Kiwi Bacon Co., staff 7 0 Adam Burges staff 4 6 Para Rubber Co. staff 3 6 Total to date £214 0 10