UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3773, 6 July 1926, Page 28

UNEMPLOYMENT.

POSITION IN CITY. PUBLIC MEETING TO BE HELD. When the Otago General Labourers’ Union resolved not to make any unemployment demonstration in the streets of the city, it was decided that a meeting should be called for June 28, to which all unemployed were invited. Mr R. Harrison presided. Various trade unions were represented by secretaries, and there were several social service workers present. The. Rev. G. E. Moretou said that the social workers of the city were anxious to do anything within their power to relieve the ..nemployment in tne city. About 60 unemployed attended the meeting, but Mr Lightfoofc (of the Labour Department) said, in reply to Mrs Neilson, that 69 married men and 95 single men registered on the department’s books last week. He assured the meeting of the hearty co-operation of the department. He also advised all men out of work to register at his office so that a correct record could be made. The Labour Department, he said, would be only too willing to facilitate the work of the Unemployment Committee. Mr J. Robinson moved the appointment of an Unemployment Committee with power to add to its number.

Mr R. W. Hall (Mayor of St. Kilda) moved as an amendment tl.at the Deputy Mayor be requested to convene a meeting of representatives of the various einEloyers’ associations, the Expansion eague, the Manufacturers’ Association, officials of the Trades Hall, local bodies, the City Council, the Drainage and Harbour Boards, and Government departments. The meeting should be held in the Town Hall, and should be non-political m character. The amendment was carried. It had been suggested to the Prime Minister that the unemployment in the city might be relieved to some extent if the work of razing the old post office could be put in hand. In reply to a communication to this effect Mr Coates stated that he could not as yet see his way clear to recommend that such work should be proceeded with. INVERCARGILL FIGURES. INVERCARGILL, June 28. The unemployment figures for Invercargill show that 63 labourers, two engine drivers, six farm hands, four motor drivers, two clerks, three _ ploughmen, two married couples, one tinsmith, two salesmen, two firemen, one carpenter’s apprentice, one slaughterman, one rabbiter, one share milker, three blacksmiths, one cycle mechanic, one carpenter and one bridge carpenter are looking for billets. The position has eased considerably since last week when there were 127 men awaiting employment, while now there are only 96. The Public Works Department and the Borough Council have started relief works, and these have absorbed a great deal of the available labour. AUCKLAND’S EFFORTS. AUCKLAND. June 28. At a meeting of the Unemployed Relief Committee, at Auckland, the Mayor stated that when the committee started it had several hundred unemployed. It had placed 600, and had over 800 more on the list. It was stated that this was caused by men coming from the country. The City Council has arranged to provide a large amount of work. POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH. CHRISTCHURCH, June 28. Union secretaries addressed a meeting of unemployed at Christchurch this morning, and told the men what was being done m regard to relief work, and advised them to play the game and not do anything likely to jeopardise the appeal for funds. THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY. WELLINGTON. July 1. The Government’s attitude to unemployment relief was defined to-day in tiie House of Representatives by the Prime Minister. Mr W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) who introduced the subject, asked whether in view of the large number of people who were unemployed and having regard to the suffering and privation some of them were enduring, he would give the House and the country an assurance that assistance would includo such necessities as meat and fuel. Mr Parry said that the unemployed included young girls who were not able to pay tho rent of their rooms and were in very straightened circumstances. Mr Coates said that the first portion of the question affected the articles supplied to those finding it necessary to seek help from the hospital boards. The Social Welfare Committees of the boards controlled that side of tilings, and he was not able to interfere. The Government had left it entirely to the Social Welfare Committees to administer the assistance the Hospital Boards were permitted to give. In addition the Government had asked different social workers to cooperate with those committees in order that assistance might be given to those who would never apply for it. These workers had been asked to notify in what manner they could render assistance where it was necessary, and the Government had asked that it should be notified as to the amounts required in special cases which the board’s funds could not meet.

Mr J. M'Combs (Lyttelton) asked whether that applied to all centres. Mr Coates replied that it did. Mr P. Fraser (Wellington Central) remarked that Auckland seemed to have less adequate provision than any other place in the Dominion, that was as regards the Hospital Board and tho Social Welfare Committee. Mr Coates: Probably Auckland is feeling the need more than any other centre. Mr Parry: There is a big strain on them. Mr Coates: There is a tendency to put everything on to the Government. The Government can co-operate. We have all these organisations in existence and to create another would be merely to go in for overlapping. As to Mr Parry’s statement about young girls being out of work and unable to pay the rent of their rooms, Mr Coates said that while he did not doubt Mr Parry’s word, he would like the names and particulars of the cases, for then inquiries could be made. TREE-PLANTING AND RAILWAY WORKS. WELLINGTON, July 2. A deputation of the Christchurch members of Parliament waited on the Right Hon. J. G. Coates and the Hon. K. 8. Williams. The latter said the Public Works Department was doing all It could to find employment *or uien suitable for tree-planting. The Hon. O. J. Hawken (Minister of Agriculture) had raised the point whether there were trees available from nurseries, and was making Inquiries on the subject, and also whether trees could be supplied from private nurseries. In replying to the suggestion that men should he put on work on the Lyttelton and Christchurch railway yards, Mr Coates said instructions had been given to the department to take on all the men it possibly could. The Lyttelton yard could not be gone on with as yet.