THE UNEMPLOYED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2935, 15 June 1910, Page 18

THE UNEMPLOYED.

MEETING IN DUNEDIN. About 100 men out of work assembled at the Trades Hall in. Moray place on Wednesday morning. Mr J. E. MacManue, secreI tary of the General Labourers’ Union, briefly addressed them. He said he had mads inquiries about the- proqpects of work. Th© , Harbour Board intended to proceed with j the railway deviation at Logan’s Point, j also some reclamation work, but until oerI tain negotiations with the Government bad been completed it could not put this work jin hand. He had comiminciated by tele- ! phone with the Mayor asking him, as chief -j magistrate of the city, to request the j Government to push on these negotatiens, ! but his Worship had refused to interfere, [ and bad referred him to th© Harbour j Board. The speaker urged the men to i place their names on his books, also on the j books of th© Labour Department, so that { when work was offering they would have a j chance of getting it. Mr Le Cren, of the I Labour Bureau, was aware that .many men j were out of work—more, indeed, than bad placed their names on his books, —and he bad ■ sent a telegram to Wellington on the pre- \ vious evening stating the position. If th© j men wanted work they must let the public know th© facts, otherwise the public would j simply allow them to remain unemployed. ! As there appeared to be mor© prospect j of obtaining employment from the Harbour Board than from any other source, th© men decided to ascertain their chances of getting work in that quarter. Thereupon, they marched to th© office of Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., in Crawford street, where two of their number interviewed Mr Sidey, asking him to use his influence in their behalf. Mr Arnold, M.P., arrived, and the deputation also laid their case before him. Mr Sidey communicated with th© Harbour Board office, but found that Mr Blair Mason (engineer and secretary) was out. It was agreed that Mr Arnold and Mr Sidey should telegraph to the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister of Railways, urging him to complete the negotiations now in progress with the Harbour Board, so that the proposed railway deviation works at Pelichet Bay might be started without further delay. Later in the morning the following telegram was despatched : The Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister of Labour, j Auckland. Meeting unemployed here to-day. Apparently about 100 deputationised us. Understand if agreement with Harbour Board re Logan’s Point deviation is completed, or assurance given th© present . understanding with board will be carried | out, the board will put a number of | men on at once. Urge that assurance bo I given, also that Ways and Works De- i partm-ent be instructed to increase hands, | if possible, and that authorisation re ! Anderson’s Bay tramway be completed. : If these things are done present situation should be met. (Signed) J. F Arnold. T. K. Sidey. About 11 o’clock the majority of the ! men wended their way to the Labour Office ; in Dowling street, where 91 of them, regis- I tered their names on the unemployed list. ; Of this number, 44 are married men. The head office has been advised by Mr t Le Cren of th© whole matter. Hon. J. A. Millar replied the same night, stating that he would take the matter into consideration on his return tc Wellington. In conversation with our reporter, the Mayor said it was useless for the men to interview him with regard to Harbour Board work He could not interfere in any work th© board had in hand or intended to put in hand. As for corporation work, if men were required they were engaged through Mr Le Cren. The corporation officials had nothing to do with j engaging men. i