WORK FOR MINERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22131, 10 June 1935, Page 11

WORK FOR MINERS

WEST COAST UNDERTAKING

SUCCESS OF THE SCHEME

" INSPIRING EXPERIENCE "

[bt telegraph—OWN correspondent] NEW PLYMOUTH. Sunday

"A refreshing and inspiring experience for anyone who knows only town aspects of unemployment relief," is the description applied by the Minister of Employment, the Hon. S. G. Smith, in sj:eaking of an official visit to the West Coast of the South Island, which he concluded recently.

"On the West Coast," said Mr. Smith, in an interview in New Plymouth to-day, "although there are just over 12000 unemployed between Hokitika and Karamea, a relief worker is rarely to be seen, except on one or two special jobs, like aerodrome construction. Yet two years ago the West Coast area was one of the most difficult administrative problems on the Unemployment Board's hands, owing largely to the particularly independent spirit of West Coasters and to the difficulty of finding sufficient suitable jobs to carry out under scheme No. 5.

"So difficult did the position become that, during the administration of my colleague, the Hon. A. Hamilton. as Minister of Employment, it was decided to try to provide a form of relief work which would at the same time meet West Coast aptitudes and solve the board's difficulty in providing scheme No. '5 jobs. Accordingly Mr. J. S. Jessep, then deputy-chair-man of the board, visited the West Coast and inaugurated a system of 'grub-staking' unemployed to go out of the towns and into the hills to win gold.,

Pleasing Transformation

"To-day the whole fccene in that part of New Zealand, from an unemployment relief viewpoint, is completely transformed, and • a visit there is an inspiration, after being used to dealing with the necessarily melancholy problems which still confront the board in large centres elsewhere. No fewer than 1200 of the West Coast unemployed are independent gold miners, 'grulb-staked' by the board, and for all practical purposes 'their own bosses.' This is an arrangement which suits the West Coaster, and makes him happy in comparison with the outlook and prospects of unemployed in areas where the same opportunities cannot be given." It was pointed out by the Minister that while the scheme gave the miners a large measure of freedom and scope for personal initiative, it was by no means a "go-as-you-please" arrangement. He explained the system of administration and the checking of accounts, as well as the organisation of works under the control of engineers and supervisors. Development ol Big Schemes "I found that, whereas in the early stages most of the men were necessarily confined to prospecting or digging in small parties of two or three," Mr. Smith stated, "the scheme has now been developed to a stage at which some very large schemes are being opened up to provide blocks of claims for considerable numbers of men. The Humphrey's Gully scheme, for instance, which I inspected, and where the Public Works Department are at present reconstructing a big water-race for the Unemployment Board, is estimated, on the basis of comprehensive testing carried out by the board's experts in conjunction with the Mines Department, to provide on one face alone 100 sluicing claims which will each provide a good living for the owners for 20 years. At Mosquito Creek, another big field, this time for underground goldinining, the board's own mining engineer is tunnelling long shafts from which individual underground claims will be opened out. "A year ago, when the board took over Humphrey's Gully, it was a wilderness with only a rusting boiler to mark the place where was, many years ago, a busy sawmilling town of 1000 inhabitants." To-day it is a hive of industry, the preparatory work being carried on, under engineers, by men drawn from the unemployed register, and all keen to complete the developmental stage so that they can be allocated claims and begin to work the gold as independent miners. Fine Spirit of the Men "The spirit is well illustrated by a remark of the spokesman of a deputation of the men engaged on the shafts and the tunnelling. They had been doing this expert and arduous work, performing full shifts for five days a week at 37s 6d a week, under conditions that would sorely try the fortitude of men not accustomed to hard work or keen to reach a definite goal. Their request, reasonably put, was for some improvement in their rates and conditions, 'but,' the spokesman concluded, 'even if you do not meet our request, it will make no difference to our work. We are going on as hard as we can go. We want to get oil to our claims.' The board, in accordance with its policy in regard to valuable development work, has since decided to give these men standard rates of pay on a contract basis, in order that they may earn in proportion to the great efforts they are undoubtedly making." Mr. Smith stated that during the whole of his tour of the district he did not hear one single a pleasant experience for a Minister of Employment. He also mentioned that the total value of gold sales recorded by miners under the scheme in various parts of the country was not less than £150,000.