UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3801, 18 January 1927, Page 33

UNEMPLOYMENT.

POSITION ON WEST COAST. & APPEAL BY MH HOLLAND. WESTPORT, January 11. To-day Mr H. E. Holland, M.P., communicated with the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of Marine, stating that there were more than 50 unemployed men in Westport, and that a substantial majority of those are married and have families dependent on them. Mr Holland urged that in order to provide employment the construction of the harbour walls, promised by the Minister of Marine should be put in hand at once, and that the remainder of the unemployed be found work on the Gorge railway, on which only a handful of men was now working, and the Coast road, the construction of which is at a standstill. The figures relating to unemployment were furnished to Mr Holland by Mr Fairhall, of the Labour Department. SLACKNESS IN NORTH ISLAND. WELLNIGTON, January 12. Unemployment has been more or less recurrent since the beginning of last winter, -and there is some evidence that the trouble is likely to become more prominent as the present summer merges into autumn and ■winter approaches. Not since 1908 have there been so many men unemployed atthis time of the year as at present, in the North Island particularly. It was stated by a traveller that scores of men were to be seen in the Gisborne district carrying their swags. On account of the depression in the pastoral and farming industries many farmers, who in the -summer season usually take on a large amount of extra labour, are now carrying on their operations as "well as thev can without it. The supply, of . sawn timber on hand at the mills is said to be ample to meet demands for months ahead, and that it is useless to cut and mill more bush in the meantime. The importation of foreign timber is to a large extent blamed for the want of orders for the local mills. Many seamen are unemployed. Overseas ships bringing migrants to the Dominion arc compelled by the Board of Trade to carry •a certain number of extra hands as seamen, -stewards, etc. On arrival in the Dominion the extra hands are paid off and many, attracted by the high r ages here, elect to stay and take their chance of getting work in the coastal or intercolonial trade. These men on coming ashore join the New. Zealand Seamen’s Union or apy other union concerned, and are then -quite ■entiled to apply for work on the usual conditions. It is claimed that as the result of the influx of British seifmen the local men are being displaced, and the number of unemployed on the waterfront is being added to accordingly. It is also asserted that many men are out of work who are generally employed on public work. In the case of shearers and freezers whose work is seasonal many proceed to Australia when ■the work here is finished. '

ACUTE IN AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, January 13. From the chief centres of the Dominion reports are to hand of much unemployment. It was hoped that with the New Year the acute position which obtained during, last winter would show considerable improvement, and that the hardships endured by hundreds of workers would be forgotten in the brighter times to come, but apparently there is no improvement, and from inquiries made to-day the outlook in Auckland is not at all promising. Just before Christmas the number of applicants for employment on the waiting list of the Labour Department dropped a couple of hundred.. This was expected as few men. would expect to get work during the holidays, but with the New Year entered upon the numbers began to mount ■up again, and to-day the list of unemployed is almost in keeping with the worst, period of last winter. As has been the case all along the list at the Labour Department’s office does not include returned soldiers or engineers, fitters and turners, of whom, says the Star, there are about 500 out of wors, and all told there are at least 10Q0 men now seeking jobs. So far there has been ho announcement by the Government of opening up public works to provide for the unemployed, but the opinion is that the position will have -to be considered at an early date. Mr T. Bloodworth, secretary of the Carpenters’ Union, states: “Since the holidays I have had at least 20 boys call on me wanting to get into the building trade, but I do not know a single builder wanting an apprentice. This no doubt is partly due to the trade being so slack. At the present time there are at least 100 journey-men-carpenters out of employment. Among them are some of the best tradesmen in the country. I have never known the trade to be so bad at this time of the year, and that being the position now. what may we expect for the winter?”—.

ALLEGATIONS OF LOAFING. CHRISTCHURCH, January 13. -- “It is easy for men who have not used a pick and shovel to criticise the work of those who have,” said Mr H. Worrall at the meeting of the Executive of the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee to-day. “H such men had hold of a pick for five or .10 minutes they would find it a different matters” -These remarks were in reply to Mr R. B. Owen, who criticised some of the men whom the committee had put -on relief work. , . Mr Owen said that there was no question about it." Three of the -committee had ha<j a deputation from “professional - unemployed” the other day. These men should be shown that the city was tired of them.” I saw one of them working near the City Council Chambers the other day,” continued Mr Owen. “These men, who live by their wits, must be shown that the city expects value for value. On the amount of work some of the men I estimate that they: were paid at the rate of £2 Ms a day.” Mr Worrall said that there had been no adverse reports from the foreman over the men. Workmen who were not satisfacory were discharged. . “The foreman did it, too,” said the ” Chairman (Mr E. H. Andrews). “It is all ‘bunkum’ for Mr Worrall to say that some ' men working last winter were not loafers,’ said Mr Owen.

“They, were not regular unemployed at all,” said the chairman. '“They were members of a gang.” “We have £l3O to spqpd on providing work,” Mr A. Drayton' reminded the meeting. The reminder had its effect, for the argument was dropped.