THE UNEMPLOYED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2882, 16 June 1909, Page 34

THE UNEMPLOYED.

POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH. CHRISTCHUECH, June 10. A conference of delegates from the local ' bodies in the Christobuirch district was held to-day -to discuss matters conmected with finding work for the workless. Mr.L. R. Wilson, secretary of the Unemployed Committee, stated that he had the names of 208 workless men. His list contained the names of 100 married men with families Tanging from one child to 14. In the last-mentioned case five children were earning something. "He declared that- there were at least 500 men In •.Ohristchurch out of- work. The opinion was expressed by the delegates- that the General Labourers' Union should issue .permits to incompetent men to enable them to work , for 7s . per day, and one speaker advocated that this rate be paid all round in order not to attract " unemployed from other parts. HARDSHIP IN CHRISTCHURCH. (Feom Oxm Own Correspondent.) . CHRISTCaURCH, June 11. Mr L. R. Wilson, secretary to the Unemployed Committee, stated ' last night that he had the -names -of 199- men on bis unemployed list, and more than half of them were married. One of the men had a. family of 14, nine of whom were •entirely dependent upon him, while the other" five earned sufficient only to partly keep themselves. Probably the" worst "case of which he knew was -that of a widower with five children. He Had been dismissed from the Addirigton Workshops when the first batch of men was, turned off. He went to Broken River, and worked- there " for some time. He kept his home together as long as possible, but he had to dispose of his furniture and send his children to an institution. - He was sup- . posed to pay £1 a week for them, but> he had not Is for a meal. . He had tried hard - to obtain work. but~had failed. Mr Wilson was of the opinion that nothing less than ls-per^ hour should be paid the 'men, for if the Government subsidy of £1 for £1 asked for be granted-, tne ratepayers would be getting a far larger return for their money spent than under ordinary circumstances. The statement made by many of the delegates at the conference yesterday that if 8s per day were paid to the 'men the town would be flooded with unemployed from all parts of the country only proved how necessary it was that work for the unemployed should be. found in the country districts as well as in the iowES, and the great need there -was for bothj_ town and country to co-operate* in order to- cope effectively with the problem. DEPUTATION TO SIR J. G. WARD. (FfiOU QtTR OVIS CORRESPONDENT.} WELLINGTON, June li. i Messrs Russell, Davey, and Ell to-day waited ' on the" Prime "Minister regarding a request jfrom "the Christchurch City Council. that the Government should subsidise it in connection with relief works for the unemployed. Sir Joseph Ward said that the Government would not give any subsidy for works that would be equivalent to charitable aid, but when the Government's own scheme of finance was made public it would be found that means had been taken to relieve the unemployed difficulty. Mr Witty wants -the Government to put in hand as soon as possible the buildings to be erected in Christchurch for the Government, so as to find employment during the winter for some of those who are out of work. DISTRESS IN WELLINGTON. (Fboji Ocna Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, June 12. " The co-operative works are now fully manned, and -it is not likely that any men will be taken on for some time. About 700 men applied for work during tho month, and . of this number 182 were assisted, comprising the following tradesmen and others: — Bricklayers, cabinetmakers, " carpenters and joiners, cooks, farm hands, painters, hotel workers, station hands, and .labourers.", „ The Labour Journal for June, published today, in reporting on Wellington describes the trade during the past month as fairly good and that in the building trades generally a decided improvement ' has been shown. Referring to the unskilled labour market, the report states that during May there was little demand for unskilled labourers. Private employment was also not as freely offered as during ths past three months, but there was a small demand for competent ploughmen. An advertisement in last night's paper for a smart man for a store caused quite a commotion at a local warehouse this morning, when no less than 60 men assembled to apply for the job. There can be no doubt whatever that there is considerable distress amongst quite deServing people in Wellington. The Mayor of Wellington is having a Very 6ad time with unemployed men who are willing to work. Relief is also being Igiven in individual cases by charitablydisposed people, and the Dominion newspaper has been receiving large quantities pf second-hand clothing and distributing it amongst families who are feeling tho £>inch of poverty. There are members on both sides of the House who think _that the Government's bush-felling' ecKeine for. the relief <i>f the unemployed difficulty will not be a success. Mr^ Wright, the member for Jfewtown, speaking on the subject, said ty would end in failure. "It is not every man," he told the Prime Minister yesterday, " who can undertake . such work." f -I doubt," he added, amidst laughter, "whether the rigfit hon. gentleman himkalf could fall a tree if he were placed in tb4 bush."