THE UNEMPLOYED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 1 July 1932, Page 4

THE UNEMPLOYED

POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND SHARING THE SACRIFICE STATEMENT BY MR COATES .United Press Association—By Electrto Telegraph—Copyright) (Received Ist July, 10.40 a.m.) SUVA, This Day. ' Mr Coates, interviewed, said that the unemployed, numbering 54,000 male adults, realise that the New Zealand Government is doing its utmost on their behalf to the absolute limit of the funds available. Although a few agitators, mostly not native born, were constantly seeking to stir up.trouble, the great majority of -the unemployed had taken a sane view. The Government was. not to be blamed for the distress. Mr Coates stated that when it was first suggested that single unemployed men should work for ten shillings a week, plus rations, the proposal was greeted with derision. Latterly the men concerned had realised the true facts. On the day lie left Auckland 150 young men entered a working camp on these terms and already many other camps were working satisfactorily. This was a particularly encouraging feature, indicating that the men were showing the right spirit. In fact, relief workers were shovelling an equal yardage of material on road-mak-ing and draining works' to ordinary conditions. Five thousand men under the supervision of experienced miners were engaged in alluvial and guartz gold mining in Central Otago and on the West Coast and at Thames, 2000 of whom were subsidised by the Government.

Mr Coates stated that there were exceptionally promising finds of gold in the Reefton district and the Government was financing many of these platoons of eager miners, a large proportion of whom were already self-supporting, having paid the Government’s relief at the rate of 10 per cent, of their gold returns.

Many men had been assisted to settle on ten-acre farming sections with the option of purchasing adjoining blocks of 50 to 60 acres and were already doing well. Unemployed women were not directly under Government supervision, but private organisations with Government assistance were helping women to find suitable work. Former wages and working conditions were necessarily modified until the Dominion returns to normal, but everywhere there was a spirit of willingness to share sacrifices. This single-mindedness throughout the country was the happiest augury for rehabilitation, - which he hoped Ottawa would facilitate with important trade measures. He earnestly hoped that the day was not far distant when Government relief would no longer be necessary.