THE UNEMPLOYED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21542, 14 January 1932, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYED

WORK AT THE DEPOTS BUSY DAY EXPERIENCED Yesterday was another busy day at both the relief depots in the city. It is being realised that the provision of adequate food supplies is a matter of necessity if many families who are now practically destitute are not to come face to face with starvation. Thanks to the generosity of private people as well as of business firms, the depots yesterday received large supplies of meat, vegetables, and food of all descriptions, with the result that some hundreds of families obtained parcels of food of sufficient size to relieve their immediate wants. Those in charge of both centres of relief, however, stressed the point that unless such supplies can be maintained it will be impossible to meet all the demands which are being made upon them, arid of necessity many deserving cases must be turned away. CITIZENS’ RELIEF DEPOT

At the Citizens’ Relief Depot 250 parcels of meat, vegetables, and groceries were given out yesterday. Immense quantities of vegetables have been coming to hand, but there has been something of a shortage of meat and certain lines of groceries. Some of the master grocers in the city have made a wonderful response to the appeal for assistance, and individual firms have been responsible for the supply of many pounds’ worth of goods. The Master Butchers’ Association has arranged for a continuous supply of moat. Despite this the depot is only able to cope with the demands made upon it by the utmost stretching of resources, and donations of any kind are urgently required. Those in charge at the depot wish especially to acknowledge the assistance which has been rendered by the radio broadcasting stations in making the needs of the unemployed more widely known. The manager of the Empire Theatre (Mr S. Pitt) has agreed to arrange a concert or to apply to the City Council for permission to show a suitable film on some Sunday night in the near future. A charge for admission will be made, and the money thus raised will be given to the Citizens’ Relief Depot. Whatever form the entertainment may take, Mr Pitt will have the co-operation of the managers of the other picture theatres in the city. Mr Pitt has also offered to admit 10 unemployed men free.of charge to the matinee performance at the theatre each day. Mr J. R. Brown sent 50 loaves for Wednesday and Friday, and will also give the same amount of bread on three days next week. Messrs Wolfenden and Russell are supplying 50lb of butter on each day that bread is sent to the depot, and Messrs Fraser and Sons offer 28 loaves thrice weekly for a month. Pastor W. D. More has been offered a paddock of 1500 cabbages for the cutting, and valuable donations have been promised by Messrs Rattray and Son, Milne and Bremner, and Gregg and Company. Groceries have also been received from Messrs Wolfenden and Russell, who sent 50 parcels each containing 5s worth of goods, Messrs M'Connell and Son, who forwarded 10 parcels valued at 5s each; Messrs W. Smith and Co., M'Kay’s, and Mrs Peters. The Taieri and Peninsula Milk Company has given a box of butter, and Messrs Gardiner and Tanner and Mrs Williams have given bread, whilst meat has been received from Messrs Barton and Co., together with an anonymous donation of four lambs. Jam has been received from residents of Macandrew Bay, and anonymous donations of vegetables have been received from all over the district. The depot will be open to-day and tomorrow, but no distribution will be made on Saturday, the depot being open on that day for the receipt of goods only, HOSPITAL BOARD DEPOT Work at the depot in Dowling street is largely confined to the giving out of orders entitling the recipients to a certain amount of food. Yesterday 287 such orders were given out, the values of which ranged from 7s 6d to £l. Another branch of the work here is the rapairing of boots and shoes for the families of the unemployed. Fifteen pairs were repaired and returned to. the men at Deep Stream camp yesterday, bringing the total number of repairs during the last six months up to 1400 pairs. There is an urgent need of men’s working boots and men’s trousers as well as of supplies of fresh vegetables. The following donations are acknowledged:—Mr Rusbridge, vegetables; Mrs Lake, soup; Mr Myers (Broadway), vegetables; visitor from Queenstown, bread and buns; Friend (Mosgiel), vegetables; Friend, vegetables; Mrs Buxton, bread and butter; Friend, butter; Miss Smith, jam and tea; W. Scoular and Co., case cocoa and chest tea; Fairbairn and Wright, cocoa, custard powder, ship’s lime juice; Mr Armit, assorted groceries; Mr Wilson, assorted groceries; Friend, jam; Friend, groceries; Rio Grande Restaurant,. cake and bread; _ Ryalls, vegetables: Mrs Blaney, groceries and meat; Friend, fruit; Mr Brinsley. 40 large loaves; Mr Myers, turnips; Brooks, cabbage; Thompson, cabbage and lettuce; Nuttall, lettuce and cabbage; Mrs J. D. Smith, jam; Mr Hendry, groceries; Mrs Kerr, groceries, Mrs Forrester, groceries; Mrs Denton Leach, groceries; Mrs Haughton, groceries; Mr Paape, bread: A. G., bread; Mr A. Barnett, cabbages; Mr Myers (Broadway), cabbages; Lady Ross, jam; Co-operative Milk Supply, 3 gallons milk; Anonymous, rice and butter.

APPEAL TO EMPLOYERS A NATIONAL PROBLEM (Pr.B United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 13. The Mayor (Mr G. W. Hutchison) today made an appeal to all employers to endeavour to budget this year’s expenditure so as to avoid reducing stalls. He said that if that was not possible at the existing rates of pay, they should retain their staffs by means of rationing or by a review of salaries. A general policy of cutting costs by reducing staffs would bring serious results. _ . . Mr Hutchison expressed the opinion that the sustenance granted able-bodied unemployed men by the hospital boards was tantamount to the dole, against which the Government had rightly set its face. Such a system should not be allowed to creep in, even in that modified form. Unemployment relief was a national problem, and the method of providing it should be by work. 'lt was imperative that payment of relief by hospital boards, the continuance of wholesale employment under the No. 5 scheme, and the unregulated operations of social service organisations should be abolished. The Government should aim at the absorption of the men by land settlement schemes and by secondary industries. No. 5 SCHEME Working under No. 5 scheme, the following men will report for duty this morning:— St. Kildn Borough Council. —12.30 p.m., at Scott street yard, group 21. Defence Department.—B a.m., at Central Battery, St. Kilda. Those men of group 33 who did not work in tiic earlier part of the week. D.C.C. Deserves Department.—B a.in., at Knox street, Opoho, group 500. Wc are assured that wc were misinformed in respect of the statement in Monday’s issue that, in the course of the demonstration in George street on Saturday, Superintendent Eccles inquired of Mr Wardell whether lie would grant food supplies to the demonstrator. In justice to that officer, it is necessary that we should make this correction.