DEMANDS FOR RELIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20601, 27 June 1930, Page 17

DEMANDS FOR RELIEF.

POSITION IN AUCKLAND. PRESSURE ON ORGANISATION. Concern at the growth of the demands being made on the Auckland Hospital Board for relief was expressed yesterday by Mr. W. K. Howitt, chairman of the Relief' Committee, which held its fortnightly meeting. New applications involving 50 families came before the meeting and in addition the staff dealing with matters was unable to keep pace with tho demands made, a number of the applicants having to be sent away at tho end of tho day. Mr. Howitt said that the office accommodation was insufficient and the staff was hard pressed to cope with the daily stream of callers requiring or in receipt of relief. A total of 2t'o cases, including the 50 new ones, came before the committee for consideration. Of these 160 arose from Jack of work and 60 were the outcome of illness, this being an abnormal number. The chairman so id the increase in the number of sickness cases appeared to be «lne to under nourishment as a result of insufficiency of food. deputation from the Waterside Workers* Union yesterday asked _ if the committee could assist in securing more even distribution of work on the wharves. The speakers explained that the membership of the union was 1300, and if work had been evenly divided during the past vear. each member would have received £4 7s 6d a week. But as it was some were pa vine income tax and others were receiving charitable relief. An endeavour was being made to secure a petition from the majority making representations to the shipowners. Mrl W Wallace, chairman of the board, offered to act as arbitrator between tho men and the employers if a conference could be arranged.