THE UNEMPLOYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9616, 14 September 1894, Page 5

THE UNEMPLOYED.

SENDING CHRISTCHURCH MEN TO HIKURANGI. THE DISTRESS IN THE NORTH. MR. THOMPSON AND THE MINISTER OF.LABOUR. . [by telegraph.—special CORRESPONDENT.] : Wellington, Thursday. Mr. Thompson asked the Minister of Labour this afternoon—(l) Whether it was true that a number of men had been sent from Christchurch to Hikurangi to work on the railway; (2) is the Minister aware that a large number of men in the Hikurangi district are unemployed and in distressed circumstancea, but have been refused work by . the engineer in charge of the railway works ; (3) will the Minister inform this House what special claims the working men of Christchurch have upon the Government? Mr. Reeves stated that it was true that men had been sent from Christchurch. He had no reason to believe that any men were in distress at Hikurangi in addition to those who had been provided with work, together with the Christchurch men sent up (Mr. E. Smith: Send some more of them.) The people of Canterbury helped to pay the taxes out of which the public works were carried on in all parts of the colony. If it were laid down that those districts in which no public works were being carried on had no right to have assistance for their poor from such works then they should be relieved from the taxation necessary to carry them on. Mr. Thompson was not satisfied with this answer, and moved the adjournment of the House. In doing bo .he said he had every sympathy with the Canterbury unemployed, and he admitted they were fortunate in being relieved from the humbug preached in their ears by the Minister of Labour for several years. He objected to the system of espionage carried on by the Labour Department which treated genuine workmen as paupers, and hoped that Mr. Reeves and his department would keep as far as possible from the North Auckland district. If the Labour Department was to go on destroying the selfrespect of the men, and treating them as common paupers, the sooner it ceased to exist the better. • Mr. Thompson protested against the men who had been brought to the verge of starvation by the Minister's own action, being sent to Auckland. He objected to Mr. . Reeves using his position in the Labour Department to ship his needy constituents to other parts of the colony. He (Mr. Thompson) hoped the men sent up would remain long enough to see the causes which have been at work for the last two or three years to bring them to poverty; they would" then cease to worship the Minister of Labour. In replying to this, Mr. Reeves accused Mr. Thompson ,of touting for the support of his constituents. This was, he said, one of the member for Marsden's characteristic and conciliatory harangues. Mr. Reeves went on to say that Mr. Thompson was noted for such speeches, and had more than once been severely taken to task for them ; still he had nob profited by experience, but had jusb made another of his personal attacks. Mr. Reeves said he had his opinion of the member for Marsden, bub did nob care to express it. The public works were paid for by the population 1 of the colony as a whole, and Canterbury had virtually seen no public works for years. Mr. Thompson's attitude was wrong, unfair, and heartless. It was the duty of the Labour Department to secure the free circulation of labour, and some test as to the necessities of applicants must be applied to prevent the Department being imposed on. Degrees of distress must be taken into consideration. Nineteen men had been sent to Auckland, and twelve local men taken on. Mr. Thompson asked how many local men had been refused.

The Minister said he would enquire— (to which Mr. Thompson replied with a significant u Ah!''). It Mr. Thompson (Mr. Reeves went on) considered the policy of the Government was bringing these men to starvation why had he been a Government supporter for so long ? Mr. Earnshaw contended that the unemployed should be moved to where labour could be provided. Mr. E. M. Smith implored the Government to dump the unemployed down in Taranaki, but Mr. McGoire (of Egmont) strongly protested against suck an expression of generosity. Mr. Houston" disagreed with the attitude of Mr. Reeves, and said it was well known that the inhabitants north of Auckland had neoer gone begging and praying to the Government for assistance. At present, owing to the fall in the price of gum, they were in great distress, and Mr. Houston did nob agree that it was right and proper to bring men from other parts of the colony to do local work. The Premier pointed out that after the twelve necessitous cases had been taken on in Auckland the work was open to the colony. Besides, new blood would probably do good. Mr. Massey then rose, and briefly and forcibly pointed out; that thousands of men had been affected by the depression in the gum industry. They were working longer hours and living on less money than men in any other part of the colony. The discussion was then taken up by Mr. Collins of Chriatchurch, who feelingly depicted the extreme distress existing in Canterbury owing to the agricultural depression. He condemned Mr. Thompson for endeavouring to set one part of the colony against the other, and thought Canterbury had a right to send their unemployed even to Auckland.

Mr. Tanner protested, against) Mr. Thompson's position as an exhibition of narrow provincialism, and explained the causes of the distress in Canterbury. He supported the Labour Department, as did also Messrs. Pirani, Hogg, and other Government supporters. The discussion then lapsed in accordance with the standing orders.