UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21131, 14 March 1932, Page 11

UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM.

LAND DRAINAGE WORK. SCHEMES NEAR PUKEKOHE. ("FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT. 1 PUKEKOHE, Saturday. Over 200 men are at present engaged on land drainage work within a radius of 20 miles of Pukekohe under unemployment relief schemes. In the three camps at Aka Aka 140 single men from Wellington are accommodated. They are making good progress in widening main drains in the Aka Aka system. About 40 men are employed at Mangatawhiri in widening the Mangatawliiri Stream, and another 40 are effecting improvements to the Ivopuku Stream. Eight men from Auckland made a start this week in removing the rock from the bed of the Paerata Stream preparatory to the widening and straightening of the stream between Paerata and the Pukekohe Borough boundary. This party is housed at Paerata.

POSITION AT ROTORUA. LOCAL COMMITTEE'S POWERS. [BY TELEGRAriT.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] ROTORUA. Saturday. The Rotorua Unemployment Committee reports that during the present week over 60 unemployed men have registered, and it is expected that a considerable number of registrations will be made in the near future, owing to the recent dismissals of Public Works men. Private advice has been received that, in spite of the decision made by the committee that men employed under the No. 5 scheme and not paying rent should have the amount payable to them reduced, the Minister in Charge of Unemployment, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, has decided that the men's wages should not be reduced. The committee has decided to approach the Unemployment Board to ascertain whether it has power to deal with these local matters or whether they arc to bo dealt with direct from Wellington. Ihe members of the committee are of the opinion that, as they have a full knowledge of the circumstances of the case, the men should have approached the committee instead of dealing with Wellington. \ communication was received from the Masterton Unemployment Committee stating that it had passed a resolution urging upon the Unemployment Board the desirability of the Government inaugurating immediately a State art union for the raising of funds for the relief of unemployed and charitable aid, and asking for support from the Rotorua committee It was decided to make no recommendation in the matter.

INCREASED REGISTRATIONS.

FIGURES FOR DOMINION

[BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.~| \VELL IN G-TON, Saturday.

For the week ended March 7, the total number bf unemployed registered in New Zealand was 44,363, an increase of 261 over the figures for Hie previous week. This is the first increase for two months.