PORT CHALMERS NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21649, 20 May 1932, Page 11

PORT CHALMERS NEWS

UNEMPLOYED WATERSIDE WORKERS Waterside workers at Port Chalmers are having anything but a pleasant time just now. There are 220 men enrolled iu the union, and not one has found employment on the waterfront during the past 14 days, on account of the fact that no ships have visited the Lower Harbour since May 5. The only sign of activity on the waterfront yesterday was the occasional clang of a hammer from the direction of the marine repair works. The docks gave forth no sound, and the appearance of the waterfront from the dock entrance to the export wharf is one almost of desolation. PERSONAL Mr Cecil Croll, who has been visiting Port Chalmers, will return to Christchurch by to-day’s express. RELIEF WORKERS I As the Port Chalmers relief workers have not been able to obtain the full quota of relief work stipulated in the No. 5 scheme, the men have formed a branch of the Unemployed Workers’ Movement. They invited Mr A. E. Ansell, M.P., to meet them yesterday afternoon at Port Chalmers. The unemployed single men at Sawyers’ . Bay have not had a day’s work for two weeks. Yesterday the men waited on the certifying officer and also the Mayor of Port Chalmers (Mr J. Watson) and stated their case. UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE At a meeting of the Port Chalmers Unemployment Committee yesterday an application was received from a farmer for a man to cut elderberry and scrub. —The application was referred to the.l certifying officer to look into. The Mayor (Mr John Watson) reported that he had despatched several telegrams to the Unemployment Board in Wellington asking for an increase m the wages, allocations for Port Chalmers and also requesting that the revised No. 5 scheme should be put into operation at Port Chalmers as soon as possible. Mr A. E. Ansel!, M.P., who was present at the meeting, gave an outline of the difficulties under which the Unemployment Board in Wellington was working. Mr Ansell stated that he had the assurance of the Minister of Employment (Mr J. 0. Coates) that it was proposed to include Port Chalmers and Green Island in the area in Which the new No. 5 scheme was operating. A deputation from the Port Chalmers Unemployed Workers' Movement waited on the committee, pointing out that the allocations for wages in recent weeks were quite inadequate for the number of men offering for work, with the result that instead of the men receiving the full time to which they were entitled their number of working hours was somewhat severely rationed. —Mr Ansell explained that he was using his utmost endeavours to obtain the highest possible allocations for unemployment relief work in Port Chalmers. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Ansell for attending the meeting and for his efforts to obtain higher wage allocations for the district PORT CHALMERS COUNCIL The Port Chalmers Borough Council held a special meeting on Wednesday night to consider the estimates of municipal income and expenditure for the current year. The Mayor (Mr J. Watson) presided. For some time the Mayor has been anxious to reduce the rates, and the substance of Wednesday night’s meeting might be said to have been a careful scrutiny of the position to ascertain whether that could be done. In order to reduce the rates it would have been necessary to reduce the council’s expendiI ture considerably. The fixed items of expenditure, such as interest on loans, lighting, and the like, were not reducible. There was also an overdraft of £BOO from last year/ The only, avenue where reduction was possible was in street maintenance and the outdoor staff. After a lengthy discussion it was decided to reduce the staff by one man; and to curtail contributions to other organisations and donations to a minimum. When all the reductions had been summed up it was found that the rates for the present year could not be’’reduced if the council was to meet its commitments. The rates for this year will therefore be the same as last year. .