UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21216, 23 December 1930, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT.

RELIEF OF ACUTE DISTRESS. SPECIAL ALLOCATION OF £IO,OOO. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, December 22. The Unemployment Board has made available a further £IO,OOO by way of a free grant to relieve acute distress during the Christmas period. This amount is being allocated to local bodies, which will act in conjunction with the local unemployment committees to .find work immediately for those who have not had work under either the No. 1 or No. 2 scheme, and who have been unemployed for no fewer than 14 days prior to December 22. The board desires it to be clearly understood that this is an emergency measure only and is not to be .taken as a precedent. CHRISTMAS RELIEF. GENEROUS DONATIONS. A cheque for £IOO has been handed to the Mayor (Mr R. S. Black) by Mr A. Sutherland on behalf of the Self-help Co-op,, Ltd., the funds to assist in relieving the unemployment position. The following letter has been received by the Mayor from Mr Sutherland:—“ In view of the urgency of the relief of the unemployed, the Self-help Co-op., L]td., herewith encloses a cheque for £IOO to be utilised for the purpose of relief of the unemployed at Christmas. This donation is quite independent of the scheme adopted "by the employees of the Selfhelp Co-op., Ltd., in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and which will be carried on during the forthcoming year in the four -centres, and> commencing in Dunedin immediately. Employees earning under £3 per week contribute fid per week; £5 per week and £3 per week or over contribute Is per week; £7 per week and over £5 per week contribute Is 6d per week; over £7 per week contribute 2s per week. The above subscriptions are subsidised f for £ by the company, and the amounts are handed over regularly to the Mayor of each city for the relief of the unemployed. This year each employee receives by way of Christmas bonus from the company an amount equal to double the amount contributed by the employee to the unemployment fund during the year. We are. of the opinion that e U r donation of £IOO for the supplying of Christmas cheer for the unemployed should carry a Government subsidy.” The Mayor has also received from Mr P. R. Sargood the sum of £IOO, to be expended in the relief of any necessitous cases during Christmas. Mrs J. D. C. has also forwarded to the Mayor £lO for a similar purpose. The Mayor has received the following letter from the district engineer -of the Public Works Department (Mr T. M. Ball) :—“ In reply to your letter of December 20, I have to advise you that your application for a £2 for £1 subsidy for the purpose of providing employment for returned soldiers on the noth road cannot be considered at present, as the Unemployment Board has decided not to grant further subsidies to any local bodies on special Christmas relief work.” No. 2 RELIEF SCHEME. Twelve farther offers of work under the relief scheme No. 2 have been received by the secretary of the local Unemployment Committee (Mr S. G. M'Donald). This brings the total number of men for whom work has been found to approximately. 60, but tho periods for which they are engaged are in the most of cases very brief, the'employment lasting only for the matter of a few days. MAYOR’S RELIEF DEPOT. PREPARATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS. During the past few days the Mayor’s Unemployment Relief Depot in Dowling street has been a hive of industry, the whole of the staff, under the capable leadership of Mrs Marshall Macdonald, being engaged in preparing parcels for distribution to-day and to-morrow. The result of this work is that everyone on the books of the depot will receive a parcel containing sufficient food to last over Christmas week and to provide a really satisfactory Christmas, dinner. A Daily Times reporter was shown over the depot last night, when the whole of the first, floor of the old Commercial Travellers’ building was seen to be one great larder. , In one room there were groceries of every description—sugar, rice, sago, bread, butter—all made up packages of different sizes for families of varying numbers. Another room was almost completely filled with Christmas puddings, also of all sizes from the very smallest suitable for families of two persons to large ones intended for distribution to larger families. Sweets were done up for inclusion in packages for families where there are children, apples were ready for inclusion in all parcels, and onions and potatoes and tinned vegetables were also stored there in profusion. That the children may be provided for, large quantities of toys of every kind, from trumpets and perambulators to books, have, been obtained, and these will be included in some of the parcels which will be issued to-day. It is expected that over 30(1 people will be dealt with before Christmas. Everyone is to receive coal so that the mutton which is being supplied for Christmas dinner may be cooked. Through the generosity of Mr John Hamer, 300 passes to the Princess, Strand, and Roxy Theatres will be issued. The goods supplied by the depot have been obtained mostly as donations from the public and business firms. CHRISTMAS GIFTS TO CHILDREN. OTAGO DAILY TIMES FUND. Previously acknowledged ~ £42 10 6 R. M, G g o q Employees Daily Times and Witness i jg q “ Quaker Philanthropist ’.. 110 D - c 10 0 “ Irish ” 10 0 0 iS S Kaitangata ” .. q 3 o H - B 0 3 0 T ° tal £SO 6 6