UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF WORKS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21266, 21 February 1931, Page 22

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF WORKS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Permit me, as one of the unemployed, to mention a grievance concerning the existing conditions in connection with the unemployment relief works scheme. It would seem, judged by what happened last week, that time lost through wet weather is not to be made up. Last Friday we all reported on the job, and were kept in the rain for half an hour, and were then told that, on account of its being too wet to work, we were to go home. There was no suggestion of any of us being unwilling to work, and we were told that we would get an extra day next week. Just to make sure, I called at the Labour Bureau,_ and was told that we would receive Friday’s pay in addition to Saturday morning’s and Monday morning’s. On reporting on Tuesday afternoon at the Town Hall we were give 14s—i.e., one day’s pay. On asking what was going to happen about last Friday, and saying that I was willing to make it up, I was told that they were not supposed to know anything about it. They did not know whom we should see to inquire about it, and seemed keen to get the matter off their hands. Another point surely comes up for criticism. We lined up in a queue for our pay, and proceeded to move up one at a time. It was 40 minutes before I received mine, on account of the slowness of the paymasters who had to deal with the men. Cannot some better system be arranged? Might we not be given our pay on the job; or, if not, might not some quicker method be adopted? Of course, we know that every scheme takes times before it can be run smoothly, but surely these matters could have been thought of. I trust that those in charge will remedy these faults, for 1 know that they are matters which have rather disgusted many of the unemployed besides myself.—l am, etc., Unemployed.