WELLINGTON UNEMPLOYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9494, 25 April 1894, Page 5

WELLINGTON UNEMPLOYED.

DEPUTATIONS TO THE MAYOR AND . -...■• THE PREMIER. THE WORKING OF THE LABOUR BUREAU. [XT SKtEQRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Tuesday. . Between two and three hundred unemployed held a meeting on the reclaimed land this morning, when deputations were formed to wait on the Premier and the Mayor. One of the speakers complained that the city drainage works were going on very slowly, and that the engineer would nob take on labouring men without recommendations, or unless they came from Australia. Complaint was also made that the Labour Bureau did nob aob fairly in giving men employment, many newcomers, it was said, getting work before others who had been applying for weeks past. Another speaker said the distress in Wellington was more acute than most people thought, andmen were actually sleeping out in railway carriages on the Manawatu line, and in other plaices. Single men complained that they could nob get work anywhere, and ib appeared as if they were nob to bo allowed to live. The Mayor, in reply to a deputation which waited on him, said he was extremely sorry to see such a large number of unemployed about town, and it appeared that .workmen from all parts of the colony wtire flocking into the city. The statement that the foreman of the drainage works would not take on men without recommendations was incredible, bub he would make inquiries. Surveys for an alternative course in connection with the drainage scheme were being prepared, and until these were finished ib was impossible to go on with larger works appertaining to the scheme. As soon as plans, and the survey were complete he hoped there would be plenty of work ; still the corporation authorities could nob profess to find work for all the unemployed in the country. Some contracts would be let shortly for clearing reserves and for stonebreaking, which should give temporary work to a good number of men.

This afternoon a deputation from this morning's unemployed meeting waited on the Premier at the Treasury Buildings, Mr. Tregear, the head of the Labour Bureau, also being present. The deputation pointed out that some three or four hundred men were out of work heremen, too, who were willing and able to work. Daily application, they said, had boon made to the Bureau without success., yet a drunken sailor, who iiad only recently arrived from the Old Country and had been discharged from a ship through intemperance, had been taken on and found work.

Mr. Tregear admitted that through a ba*e misrepresentation the sailor, who had declared ho was a married man with seven children, had been provided with employment, and Mr. Seddon interjected he would not long enjoy it. The deputation then pointed out thab, with the winter approaching, matters were becoming serious, and urged the Government to provide work. The members then related their condition, and each case appeared to be genuine. This, too, was admitted by the Premier. A statement by one of the unemployed that the Bureau had declined to place his name on the book was denied by the Record Officer, and both the Premier and Mr, Tregear said there must have been some misunderstanding. The spokesman for the deputation said no doubt the influx of workmen both from Australia and England prejudiced the workers, and he blamed Mr. Courteney, who lectured in England, for inducing young men without capital to go to. New Zealand. Mr. Seddon pointed out fchab Mr. Courteney was not an officer of the New Zealand Government therefore the latter was not to blame. The deputationisbs said there was a great deal more poverty in the city than appeared on the surface, especially in Newtown. Mr. Tregear said the poverty was more intense in Auckland. It was true there was poverty here, but in many instances it existed among >a class which the bureau ooctid no* «ooi»t, «vo tbo h«U of fcbo family was incapable of physical labour. He i claimed that the distribution of work was carried out fairly by the officers of his department. The Premier said the unemployed question was one of vast importanco, and he claimed that the Government were doing all in their power to provide work for those who were unfortunate enough not bo obtain it for themselves. The bureau was doing excellent work, and its officers had proved to be the true friends of the boilers. He referred to instances where public works expenditure was being cut down when Mr. Tregear had drawn attention to the fact thab it would cause distress among the men. The Government, he said, could only carry oat productive works, and had not the mean© to carry out merely relief works. 1 The system of co-operative works, he claimed, had provided work for men whom contractors would not have employed, and in the summer the system had bean attacked as injuring the farming industry by causing scarcity of labour for harvesting, etc. Bearing this in mind the Government had reduced the number of men on the works 25 per cent., and by the money thus saved they were now able to give employment to an additional number of men in the winter. He complained of the advertisement calling the unemployed together, which stated " protect themselves by show , ing Mr. Seddon there are more than 40 or 50 men who want work, and must have it." The Governmant would not be dictated to on this question, and he wished the unemployed to understand that there was no necessity for mass meetings which did no good to the cause. Had the Government not used its best endeavours to provide for the unemployed there might have been some excuse, but, he contended, the Government had, whore possible assisted the unfortunate. Some of the deputation complained that a number of men, who had been out of work for a lengthened period, had not been provided with work. Mr. Seddon said : I understood the men who have been the longest oub of work, and with tho largest families are given first choice. Mr. Tresear : So did I. Mr. Seddon said that so long as the unemployed were reasonable their demands to be relieved would be met with favour. The Government were preparing bush lands, and hoped to give employment fcD a large number oi bushmen during fche winter, but he said it was impossible for the taxpayers and the Government of New Zealand to bo continually relieving the surplus labour of Melbourne and Sydney. The Government had quite enough to do bo assist its own legitimate surplus labour. Mr. Seddon told the deputation very plainly that their estimate of the unemployed was very largely exaggerated. In conclusion he gave the deputation to understand that some of the most deserving cases mentioned would be relieved, and he would consult with Mr. Tregear respecting the alleged irregularities respecting placing the names in the books. He would also see the Minister of Labour with regard bo striking a man's name off the books when he obtained employment. An easy way out of the difficulty would be for tho applicant for work to report himself each week, any default to be taken thab the man was in work, and his name to be removed from the books. mmmammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm