£100 ALLOCATION

Northern Advocate, 2 July 1935, Page 5

£IOO ALLOCATION

WORK FOR WORKLESS SCHEME TO BE PREPARED. I MAYOR ORDERS MAN OUT. , The arrival of a deputation from the Unemployed Workers’ Association, with a request for additional assistance, had a breezy sequel at last I evening’s’ Borough Council meeting. ! Before the first member had finish- . ec/ putting his case, the Mayor had | ordered from the room one of the un- ■ employed, who had not attended as a i member of the deputation. However, things subsequently went smoothly and the council decided to allocate up to £IOO on a suitable scheme of employment. Mr Ward said that after the last time the unemployed met the council they felt certain they would not have to come along again. However, tha belief had proved wrong. Nothing had been done, and the unemployed, he said, intended to come to every council meeting until something was done. Mr W. Jones: “Is that a threat?” Mr M. Power: “Speak up!” The Mayor, Mr W. Jones, called Mr Power to order and told him that if he made any further remark he would have to leave the room. Mr Power: “Why don’t you get the police?” Mr, Jones: “Now, you behave yourself.” Mr Power: “I can behave myseh better than you can.” The Mayor ordered Mr Power to leave the room, and he went, with the. final fling of encouragement to Mr Ward; “Give it to them!” Mr Ward then regathered the threads and said that while he felt that the council individually was sympathetic to the unemployed, collectively it had contracted that malady, apathy, to the unemployed. He appealed to the council something. His view was supported by Mr A. F. Long, who felt the apathy was a very real fact. He contrasted the council and other organisations with the Unemployed Association, which, -he claimed, was the most wide-awake and progressive organisation in the town. “Step into line with us, the most progressive organisation in the town,” he went on. “The Show, which is just starting, and the visit of the Governor-General are all right, but they are just starts. They are not constant. If we can get more money the advantage will be continuous.” The unemployed, he said, wanted support from the council, but • there seemed to be no kick coming. Cr. J. G. Barclay moved that the council whole-heartedly support the request for the city allocation for WhangareL The Unemployment Board had the money, he said, mentioning that it had over £1,000,000 in reserve. Mr N. E. Crimp: “Those who accuse us of being apathetic should make some constructive scheme of what can be done.” The Mayor: “To say the local bodies have done nothing is not very generous. , The local bodies have done something.” Among these was the fight made by the council for the abolition of stand-down week. The council had done what it could and was prepared to do more. But it came back to the same thing—money. Cr. A. T. Brainsby moved that the Mayor and Crs. G. H. Morrish, R. S. Finch and J. Donaldson meet representatives of the unemployed with a view to bringing down a constructive scheme and that they have power to allocate up to £ 100 on .the scheme. Cr. Finch said that since April 1 last the council had spent £509 in wages | on schemes of casual work in addi- . tion to the concrete gang. On the other hand, he agreed, to a certain extent, that there was apathy in the | council, bu't'The Unemployment Board, [ which hedged the council with re- : strictions, was largely to blame. He 5 thought, however, that the council [ could do something more. Miss A. Greville did not agree with ■ the apathy allegation levelled at the ’ council, but thought there was apathy on the part of the public. ; Cr. Barclay said that if the money • taken from Whangarei by the Unem- ’ ployment Board were expended in Whangarei there would be sufficient to • employ all the workless st standard t rates of pay. T The motion was carried.