UNEMPLOYED SOLDIERS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10976, 11 August 1921, Page 5

UNEMPLOYED SOLDIERS

POSITION CROWING SERIOUS WELLINGTON R.S A SUGGESTS SCHEMES EUR REMEDY. WORKS OF SOCIAL BODIES. An announcement made by the secretary .of its unemployment bureau led to a long and earnest discussion by the executive of the Wellington R.S.A. last night, on tho. (increasing unemployment among returned soldiers, and the necessity for meeting the possibility of a umber of returned men being thrown out of work. The president (Mr W. Perry) occupied the chair, and there was a full attendance. WILL TAKE ANY WORK. It was I’ei/ortedAhab the number of members on the unemployment books of tho association was 60. Since the bureau commenced its operations, three weeks ago, the number of permanent positions secured vwas 17, while temporary jobs had been found for 20 men. The applicants on the books had indicated ,for the most part, that they were prepared to take any work that was offering. preference: in employment. The meeting discussed various schemes put before it for remedying the growth of unemployment. It was explained that tho policy of the association was that the piecedence, in the matter of securing employment, was: 1. Married returned soldiers. ’ 2. Married civilians. 3. Single returned soldiers. 4. Single civilians. AN AUSTRALIAN PROJECT. Details of a scheme adopted by tho Commonwealth -Government two years ago, when unemployment was rile in Australia, were put before tho meeting. The Government voted £500,000, as a repatriation employment vote, and distributed the money among the local authorities in th-e States. A condition of tho payment of tho quota duo to each local body was that only returned soldiers be employed, and that the works were of immediate necessity. The work was all of an unskilled nature, being mainly confined to road clearing, excavating, metalling, forming and channelling. In many cases, it was reported that local authorities had supplemented the Commonwealth appropriation from local funds, in order to continue giving work to soldiers. ■ It was decided to obtain full particulars of the scheme referred to, and to forward same to the headquarters of the association. LOCAL WORKS SUGGESTED. In the discussion, several works were mentioned on which returned men could be employed during the lean period.'* The works were as follow:Formation of lower recreation ground in Kelburn Park. Formation of paths and drainage at Miramar. Laying out and construction of recreation reserve, allocated at the top of Elizabeth street. This, it was stated, would provide work for twenty men. for six months. Duplication of Kilbimie tunnel. Erection of workers' homes at Miramar. Other schemes, of a more expansive nature, were mentioned. One was to proceed to the erection of the national war memorial at Wellington, which, it was estimated, would cost £IOO,OOO. Another was for the institution of a State lottery, a proportion of the revenue collected to be set apart, as was ihe case in Queensland, for the erection of free homes for soldiers' widows.

No resolutions were passed, but it was decided to secure the fullest possible data on the matter, and transmit it to tho headquarters of the R.S.A.