CHAIRMAN RESIGNS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 143, 19 May 1932, Page 7

CHAIRMAN RESIGNS.

WELLINGTON UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE. Ter Press Association. WELLINGTON, May 19. At a hurriedly, called meeting of the Wellington Citizens’ Unemployment Committee to-day the chairman, Mr J. I. Goldsmith, tendered his resignation. The grounds for his action are contained in a lengthy statement in which Mr Goldsmith set out that the committee has never received from the Unemployment Board or the Minister a statement setting out specifically the nature of the committee’s powers or duties, tho scope of its functions or the extent of its jurisdiction. The committee, it is stated, cannot expect to function properly unless it is given the rigiit to assume the responsibility for all activities ‘ connected with unemployment in Wellington. Among the particular causes of complaint, Mr Goldsmith dwells upon tire matter of applications for exemption of going to unemployment camps, the whole matter being removed from the committee’s province and the committee being completely impotent. Within the past fortnight Mr Goldsmith says that the Unemployment Board has directed the certifying officer to change the classification of each registered Unemployed man in accordance with the revised scheme, but no communication on this important and vital subject was sent to the committee and they had only, learnt of the change after the work had been done. He was positive that if the committee had been given an opportunity to consider the proposed change it would have been possible for the committee to make representations to the Government with the object of securing a postponement of the reclassification until such time as Mr Coates was ready to bring into effect his sustenance proposals. If this had been done, it was not stating the position too extravagantly to say that the whole of the present unfortunate trouble would have been avoided and the reputation of Wellington would not have been so sadly injured. He added: “There is nothing to be gained by carrying on the work of this committee as it is obvious our sphere of usefulness is ended. I propose, therefore, to resign my position as chairman and member of the Wellington Citizens’ Unemployment Committee, leaving to each of you to say whether he will do likewise. In my opinion, the committee should call a general meeting and place their resignations in the hands of the Mayor.”