UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19902, 23 September 1926, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT.

MEETING OE COMMITTEE. A mooting of tho Citizens Unemployment Committee was held in tho 'town Hall yesterday and was attended by Messrs John Wilson (chairman), R. MotVntt (secretary). F. M. Shortt, A. T. Grandison (Government Labour Department), J. Robinson and R. Harrison, the Rev. V. G. Bryan King a id Miss Runciman. The Chairman reported that since last meeting, owing to further representations made to the Government in respect of getting work for the unemployed, the following telegram had been received by the Mayor (Mr H. L. Tapley, M.P.) from the acting-Priroo Minister (the Hon. W. Downio Stewart): —“In reply to your telegram of September 15, addressed to the Minister of Public Works, instructions have been issued for 25 men to be immediately placed on the Dunedin-Portobello road. The Chairman said be presumed the work would bo gone on with immediately. Mr Grandison said the instructions received from Wellington by the Labour Department were that only married men, or single men with bona fide dependents would be employed on this work. Deserving cases would receive prior consideration, provided the applicants were suitable. In the case of single men they would he required to allot half their pay to their dependents. In reply to Mr Harrison. Mr Grandison said the rate of pay would bo on the cooperative contract basis of 14s for an average dav’s work. Tho Town Clerk (Mr G. A. Lewin) said tho committee's account was now overdrawn to tho extent of £loj 17g 9d. After deducting some £SO or £4*"' in the way of promises and weekly contributions from citizens the liability would bo in the vicinity of £l2O, The Chairman said it waa imperative that the Works Committee of the city should shorten hands. There wore 10 men employed on reserves who would have to bo disnensed with. The total employed at present was 98 and this number would, therefore, lie reduced to 88. In Christchurch the City Council was not doing anything like what the Dunedin City Council was doing in the wav of assisting the unemployed. In Christchurch only 40 unemployed wore given assistance by the City Council, and only men with four dependents or over were given work. To date £2218 had been spent by tho committee in relieving distress by providing employment, and tho City Council had spent a similar amount, or practically £SOOO in all. Tho Rev. V. G. Bryan King moved that a vote of thanks be accorded the Railways Cash Purchase Association for its handsome gift of £SO to the funds. It was also resolved on the motion of the Chairman that Mr Hunter, proprietor of the Roslyn Picture Theatre, lie thanked for the gift of a night’s takings. At. the suggestion of tho Chairman it was decided, in view of the depleted state of the funds .that commencin'” with next week the 38 mon engaged on corporation work be employed alternate weeks—44 each week.

POSITION IN OHEISTCHUIICH. A LIVELY MEETING. MASS DEMONSTRATION ARRANGED. (Per United Press association.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 22. At a lively meeting in tho Trades Hall this morning it was decided to have a mass demonstration and to demand from the North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board an unemployment pension until such lime as work is lound for those who are unemployed. Serious allegations were made against tho Government tiy the Labour members of Parliament who claimed that tho present position was brought about by the Government in an endeavour to get cheap labour. Mr 11. Worrall said that at the present time there were approximately 330 men out of work. There were two factors that had made the position nioro ucqpe. One was seasonable occupation, and the other was the Government's immigration policy. He hud scon by the papers that a deputation had waited on tho Minister of Labour from tho Citizens Committee, and it was explained to him that tho money raised by public appeal and from local bodies was practically exhausted. There was only £3OO left, which would employ 50 men for a fortnight. The number of unemployed had increased recently through a number of drainage contracts closing down. Where 80 men had been employed there wero now only about 20. The contracts wore not coming on and other trades had put employees off. Tho Minister had told tho deputation that tho present position was caused througji luxury and motor cars. By no stretch of imagination could they believe that tho men at present in the room were responsible for this. They were also asked to be satisfied with the relief rates. However, the grocer, tho butcher, and the landlord wore not prepared to accept relief rates. , , , , iVhr N. D. Hartley (from tho back of the hall): I wish to ask whether relief is being provided for tho men who are short of food. Men must oat whether they are at work or not. If they don’t oat they will become diseased. This is a. question the Health Department should take up. I want to know whether the men, out of work are being provided for. W o must have the people fed. If they re not fed they’re not happy, and we want them to be hannv. Are you men on the platform sure that all tho women and children in Christchurch are provided for? If not. why not? Something must be done. 1 11 go to Wellington if you’ll send me. The- Chairman: There is a relict depot at the other end of the street. Ohorus: There’s nothing in it. Ihe depot is empty. A Voice; Tho relief given is entirely inadequate. All you get is a piece of bread and some dried fish. , Mr Hartley; You sit there and do nothing. 1 had to go to (ho Police Station and be arrested in order to get something.^ Mr S. Fournier (leader of (he Communist Party in Christchurch) : The relief depot lias been tested and what is provided for a family of four is obviously inadequate. There’s not the stuff in the depot. Mr H. T. Armstrong, M.P., said that unfortunately the party he represented was not the Government of the country. The Labour Party had done all that was possible to bring before the_ Government tho seriousness of the situation. Ho was continually (old in Parliament that tho unemployment was in tho cities and the cities should look after it. That was not so. Tho present unemployment was through tho present policy of the Government, which was to create unemployment. In the present Government there wore men who were opposed to the best interests of the working classes They wanted a surplus of labour so that they could employ cheap labour. The unemployment was caused through slackness in the country, for there was no chanco of petting a job in the country during tho winter months. It was decidedly unfair to ask tho City Council to plunge into debt because of the present policy of the Government. More was done for the unemployed in Wellington than in either Auckland or Christchurch. If they were not assisted they would go to the Government in a body and demand it. Parliament was in Wellington, and so they could not do this ’ here. Mr Armstrong had a word of praise for those in charge of the relief depot, but he said that it was terrible in a place like New Zealand, the wealthiest country in the world, that there should be unemployed. The Government should employ every man, but it was no good appealing to the Government to solve tho problem which it had created. There wore hundreds of immigrants on tho water, and (He Prime Minister was going Home to tell them there that New Zealand was a labourer’s paradise. “ft appears to me,” said Mr Armstrong, “that if something is not done to relieve the situation then something desperate will have to be done. \ voice at the back of tho hall; ft has been said that the best results arc obtained through force. 1 think It is time wc started to protest. The lime is coming when men in this city will be forced to do something for themselves. The time is not far distant when men will go to the council and help themselves. Mr Armstrong: The position is this. When there are two men looking for a job tho employer dictates tho terms. When you talk of force I’m afraid we would get fbe worst of the deal. The other man has got all the force, and we have given it to him with our votes. Ihe only way is to take his votes away. Mr U. J. Howard, vho was called upon to speak, said that talking for half an hour would not find them jobs. They had pot to impress upon the powers that bn that work must be found. Tree-planting had been mentioned, and the Government allowed the councils to raise money for tb.is purpose, but it did not allow money to he raised for road making. With regard to Uw relief depot he said he waa

sure that the Charitable Aid Board had not given so much a wav this year as in previous years. A Voice: I move that a mass demonstration wait on the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board and demand an unemployment pension until work is found for us.—(Applause.) , , Mr Fournier: I second that. Mr Howard: That is right. I believe that if the depot has failed to produce enough food then the Charitable Aid Board should. The Government subsidises all its spends. . . Several allegations were made that the Hospital Board would not give food until the men had done 10a worth of work. Mr Armstrong: If - that is so it is against the laws of the country. Another Speaker: And you don t get your 10s worth of food either. The motion was put to the meeting and carried unanimously. Mr Fournier suggested that a small sub-committee be set up to organise the demonstration. It was pointed out that they could not use the hall, and Mr Howard suggested that they should meet outside. Finally, a mass meeting was arranged for 10 o clock to-morrow morning in Victoria Square. Mr Howard made 'an offer to speak at the meeting.