UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3823, 21 June 1927, Page 26

UNEMPLOYMENT.

GOVERNMENT RELIEF MEASURES. STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF LABOUR. WELLINGTON, June 14. Further directions in which the Government is prepared to move in its efforts to relieve unemployment were outlined by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) in his reply to the unemployed deputation which waited on Ministers today. “In March last,” said Mr Anderson, “the Government made arrangements to provide work for 2000 men. It was thought at that time that the provision thus made for unemployment throughout the winter would be sufficient, but this anticipation unfortunately has not been fulfilled. Further arrangements have now been made by the Government to provide employment for a number of men. However, it is obvious that to cope with the problem local bodies will require to make further efforts, and with a view to encouraging them in this direction the Government has decided to subsidise moneys borrowed for the sole purpose of the relief of unemployment, provided the works have not been included in any schedule of works for which a loan has been raised by the local authority. The Government will also subsidise voluntary subscriptions by private individuals,' provided these have been handed over to local bodies to be expended upon •'■nproved relief works. The subsidies on these subscriptions will be at the rate of £1 for £l. Where counties, road boards, or other local bodies in rural districts raise loans for the relief of unemployment the Government will consider each application upon its merits, and where approved grant £1 for £1 upon the total cost of the work. Parliament will be asked to extend the operation- of the Act passed last year to enable local bodies to raise loans for the relief of unemployment. Works which local bodies propose to put in hand for the relief of unemployment must be approved by the Public Works Department, and it will therefore facilitate matters in the passing of the loan by the Local Government Loans Board if the Public Works Department is asked to approve of the work before the loan is raised.

“No work will be subsidised in a city, borough, or town district unless 60 per cent, of the' estimated cost is to be paid for labour on the actual work done. The Government will subsidise such approved works up to 50 per cent, of the cost of the labour.. It is thought by the Government that it is a sound principle for local bodies to assist in finding work for the unemployed within their own immediate vicinity, arid the subsidy proposed should render this practicable. Where local bodies see fit to pay more than the relief rates of 12s for married men and 9s for single men the Government subsidy on the cost of labour above referred to will be calculated upon a 12s and 9s rate of pay, and not upon any higher rate. On the Minister concluding his statement there was a chorus of “Oh’s!” . A shrill voice called, “How would you like to live on nine bob a day yourself?” and was followed by “Hear, hears,” and loud applause. x . The Minister added that the Govern•went put forward the proposal as a means af meeting what it was hoped was a temporary emergency, but reserved the right to modify or cancel it at any time.

AN UNRULY DEPUTATION. { MINISTERS LITERALLY MOBBED. * WELLINGTON, June 14. r A large deputation of unemployed which ( waited on the Prime Minister and the . Minister of Labour to-day was certainly } not on its best behaviour. Although only , two members of the deputation were ap- . pointed to speak, the efforts of Mr R. < M'Keen, M.P., and Mr P. Fraser, M.P., f were unable to control the men or prevent numbers of them interjecting when ■ the Minister of Labour’ and the Prime < Minister were speaking to them. They were indignant that the wages of single men on relief work would not be more than 9s a day, and maintained that they ’ could not possibly live on that sum. , They refused to allow the Prime Min- , ister to explain the position so far as it affected the Public Works Department, and his remarks that already the department was employing between 4000 and 5000 more men than were required was received with derision. They crowded round the Prime Minister, and when he opened his ' cigarette case in answer to a request for a cigarette, they forced forward, breaking the table at which the Prime Minster and the Minister of Labour had been sitting. They forced the Prime Minister against tho wall, and knocked over a typist, fortunately without hurting her. The Prime Minister made it plain that the Government would not now deviate from the policy already set out, and he advised the single men to organise and work in gangs. The suggestion was not favourably received. SITUATION IN AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, June 14. A striking commentary on the unemployed situation in Auckland is the fact that the Dilworth Trust Board, as the result of advertising for a liftman and for a cartaker for its new building in Queen street, has received 565 applications in connection with the two positions. “It is one of the saddest things I have known in my life that so many men should be seeking work in Auckland,” said the chairman of the board. Archdeacon G. Mac Murray. “I could pick out 100 really good men withut any difficulty.” This morning the archdeacon sat facing three heaps of applications which were piled high on his table, and conscientiously he was going through his -self-appointed task of carefully examining every one. In all the board had 905 inquiries in connection with the two positions that are offered, ' and they have come from all parts of the Dominion. Many of the applicants' are mar-, ried men with families. DEPUTATION TO CITY 7 COUNCIL. LOAN OF £5OOO PROPOSED. : , At the Trades Hall on Wednesday evening upwards of 100 members of Dunedin’s - unernployed met to decide the policy to be adopted by the deputation which had been ’ organised to approach the City Council ’ at a later hour. Mr A. C. Maclaran, 1 president of the Otago Labour Council, occupied the chair. ’’ ' . Mr J. Robinson acquainted the meets ing with the position as it stood at that - time, and reported on the work done by t the Trades Hall Unemployment Committee. He was hopeful that the deputa-

tion would result in something definite being done in the way of finding permanent employment for those who were out of work in Dunedin.

After various suggestions had been made, the Chairman said he took it that the deputation was to go ahead, and in putting the position to the council, was to suggest the starting of w r ork in Tahuna road, street formation on the foreshore, and a new’ sewer in Wilkie road. Mr Sonntag had generously offered to subscribe £5O towards tree-planting work in Fraser’s Gully, and if the subsidy was insufficient he was prepared to make a further donation.

Mr R. Harrison, secretary of the General Labourers’ Union, said that he did not think it was the business of the deputation to go to the council in the manner suggested by the chairman. It should demand that the council find work for the men. In his opinion, the City Council, as it was at present constituted, did not intend to find relief for the unemployed. It was see-sawing, like the Government, and should be forced to make some definite move. Mr Robinson: As Mr Harrison has said that, perhaps he will tell us how it is to be done.

In reply, Mr Harrison said that it was no use suggesting certain moves to the council. No satisfaction would be got unless the men were in earnest. He did not believe that one of the city councillors had’ a single suggestion to offer; but there were scores of people with intelligence in Dunedin.

“The council should use' the intelligence that is Stored away in the University,” he continued. ‘‘Not one of us has got the power to force the council, but we must not go about this thing in a futile way.” At the conclusion of a round of stamping and applause which followed the speaker’s remarks, the Chairman said that he did not think that. Mr Harrison was very fair in. what he said. The deputation was not going to the council in a futile way —it was going in the spirit of hope that something would be done. There was no occasion for fireworks.

“It’s -not right to say that,” said Mr Harrison. “There were no fireworks.”

Mr J.. Barton asked the meeting what it was going, to do in view of the Government’s attitude. In the end the Government would have to confiscate the wealth of the country to relieve general, social, and trade conditions.

Mr Hunt, secretary of the Carpenters’ Union, asked the deputation to bring forward the matter of setting up a citizens’ housing committee. Mrs Bennett asked, the - deputation to appeal to the council to arrange that, wherever possible, men should be given work in their own locality or as near as possible to it. Every shilling was valuable to the men who were out of work, and such an arrangement would save car fares.

The meeting then closed and its members left in a body for the City Council' chambers. At a later hour a large number of the unemployed, women as well as men, waited on the City Council at its meeting in the Town Hall. Cr Munro introduced the deputation. He said the position of the unemployed was a public tragedy. The Government, it seemed, was not going to give any relief. Many of the unemployed were ratepayers,- and the council, he hoped, would recognise that the job before it ought to be tackled at once. Mr Maclaran, president of the ‘ Otago Labour Council,, said he had been appointed by the Unemployed Committee to address the council. They wished to urge the council. to , take immediate steps to provide work for the unemployed workers.

There were 400 men but of work, and

the position was very serious. He had a list of 75 necessitous cases which required immediate relief. These men intended to wait on the deputy-mayor in the morning to ascertain if they could get work. He had been asked to suggest, as work that might be undertaken at once, the Tahuna road, which would absorb 50 or 60 men for a couple of months; street formation •work on the foreshore, which would find employment for 50 men; and new stormwater sewer for Wilkie road. Mr Sonntag had offered to donate £5O for a treeplanting scheme in the vicinity of Fraser’s Gully, and had promised to make a further donation if the Government subsidy was riot sufficient. There were other works that might be put in hand, such as the drainage scheme for the Flat. Then, if the Housing Committee had its scheme prepared it would give employment to labourers as well as tradesmen. In regard to money for works it would be necesssary to raise a loan for the drainage of the Flat. For the immediate work, a citizens’ fund, should be opened. The council could use its influence with the business people, and the Labour Council* would use its influence with the unions. This would be a better plan than giving charitable aid, for which no return was given. The men did not want charitable aid; they wanted work, and they hoped the council would assist them. Further, a citizens’ committee should be set up to cope with the question of relief. He sincerely hoped that work would be found at once for the necessitous cases.

Mr .Vernon said that men and women were in want of food in Dunedin to-day. He asked the council to give work to the unemployed, especially the necessitous cases.

This closed the case for the unemployed. Cr Mitchell said the housing Committee had been in session for some time. Its aim was to carry out a scheme such as had been carried out in Hutt Valley, near Wellington. Application had been made to the Government to be allowed to carry out a similar scheme, but so far no reply had been received. Until funds came from the Government the committee could not take action.

The Deputy-Mayor expressed th© sympathy of the council with, the men out of work. The Mayor had returned from Wellington on Tuesday night, but owing to illness was unable to be present that night. He. (the deputy-mayor) had discussed the position with the mayor and with Cr Clark, chairman of the Finance Committee, and - it was evident that the difficulty in the W’ay was one of finance. However, the whole matter would be discussed, and he was sure the council would do its best to alleviate the distress that undoubtedly existed. The mayor intended to ask the newspapers to initiate a public subscription in aid of the. unemployed workers. Cr Clark, chairman of the Finance Committee, said he was sure the council would do all it could to overcome the difficulty. They were hampered by the fact that conflicting statements had been made by the Government as to what it intended to do. For that reason the Mayor had gone to Wellington to ascertain the actual position. The. town clerk was also in Wellington, to see if the legislation requiring sanction to a loan could be overcome in any way, and the following telegram had been received from him :—“There is no alternative to loan proposal. Intention to apply for sanction must be advertised. Arrangements have been made to expedite sanction.” In order to save time, he wished now to move that public notice be given that the council proposed, on July 1, to consider a motion to raise £5OOO for the relief of the unemployed. The Finance Committee would, in the .-meantime, make full inquiry into the position, and the proper steps would be taken in the matter. It was desired that as much of the money as possible should be spent on labour and as little as possible on material. Further, the work must be close to. the city. Cr Wilson seconded the motion. As chairman of the Works Committee, he knew there were works which could be prosecuted at once, and the engineer had al-

ready been asked to prepare plans for one of the works.

Cr Munro said he did not think £5OOO Kould be adequate to meet the position. The Deputy-Mayor: With the Government subsidy the amount will be £lO,OOO. Cr Munro moved as an amendment that steps be taken to raise £lO,OOO. Cr Black seconded the amendment. He hop.ed if money was raised it would not bring men into the city from other places. Cr Clark said that £5OOO was proposed only to give a ■ start to the movement. There was a danger that, if the amount was large, opposition might be shown to it. A sum of £lO,OOO would be of considerable assistance, and, if necessary, another sum could be raised later. The Deputy-Mayor hoped Cr Munro would withdraw his amendment. Cr Munro said he had not been impressed by what Cr Clark had said. He could not see his way to withdraw the amendment. Some of the unemployed were on the starvation line. Cr Wilson mentioned that the £5OOO, if borrowed, would require to be paid back in four years. It would mean a special rate on the citv. Several councillors urged that the matter be deferred for consideration until the close of the meeting. Cr Clark opposed any delay of the motion. The amendment was lost, being supported only by its mover and seconder. «4l r M’* o ] lol .* .moved as an amendment—that a decision as to the amount to bo borrowed be left over until the end of the meeting. . This amendment was carried on the cast»ng vote of the Deputy Mayor. The deputation then retired. Subsequently it was agreed to take the necessary steps to raise a loan of £5OOO for work for the unemployed. COUNCIL TAKES ACTION. WORK FOR EIGHTY MEN. By* ’an adjustment of finances that will mean the striking of an additional city rate of one penny next year the City Council has made possible the relief of 80 unemployed men. These were selected from among the most urgent cases yesterday morning, and were started on relief works. The decision was reached at a special meeting held on Saturday, called for the purpose of receiving from the Finance Committee a report relating to the question of raising-money for relief.

There were present at the meeting the Mayor (Mr W ; B. Taverner), Crs Clark, Shacklock, Campbell, Hayward, Munro, Douglas, Larnach, Black, Wilson, and Mitchell.

The committee’s report was as follow: “ Your committee has given careful consideration to this subject, and has now to recommend that, in lieu of taking steps to raise a special loan of £5OOO, as was suggested, that sum, together with the Government subsidy it would carry, he set aside to cover the expenditure of unemployment relief works. “ That temporary finance be arranged for the current year, and that the. actual amount of the money spent to March 31 next be made a charge on the yearly allocations for next year, and be met by striking a special rate over the whole city. On the rateable valuation of the city for the current year a rate of one penny in the pound would produce £4821. “ That the Works Committee and the Reserves Committee submit forthwith a schedule of works suitable for such purposes—viz., Works that would not otherwise be undertaken in the near future; and (2) works entailing as far as possible no great expenditure other than actual labour.

“ That persons to be employed be bona fide residents of the city for at least six months past, and that before being engaged each applicant be required to produce a certificate from a city ratepayer to the effect that he complies with that condition of residence. “ That preference be given to all applicants who comply with the last preceding condition in the following order; — 1. Married men with families. 2. Married men. 3. Unmarried men with dependents. 4. Unmarried men. “ That the rate of wages on all unemployment relief works be 12s per day for married men and 9s per day for unmarried men. “ That the control of the works undertaken to give effect to the temporary relief herein provided for be with the public works department of the City Council, and that all labour engaged for any* such work be taken on through the Government Labour Department. “ That in the event of relief being called for, other than by way of work under the proposals now submitted, the same be dealt with by application, in the prescribed way to the Otago Hospital Board.”

In moving the adoption of the report, with the exception of the wages clause, Cr Clark said that the most important clause of the report was the first one, showing that the council was absolutely seized of tho necessity of doing something as quickly as possible, and of doing it in such a way that the money, as far as possible, would be spent in wages and not in other expenses. The committee had a scheme by .which that could be done. As tho council was aware, arrangements had been made for financing the new Town Hall, and a considerable sum of money was already in hand for that purpose, more, in fact,, than it was anticipated would be required for some considerable time. . The committee proposed that the relief should be financed out of that money in the general account which was available for the new building. It would not mean any interference with the work of the hew Town Hall, and would enable a start, to be made on the relief works at once. The money would be advanced from the Town Hall account and would be repaid next year. As a matter of fact, a good deal of interest would be saved in this way. “If you adopt the recommendation of the committee, you pledge yourselves to -strike an additional rate of one penny, next year,” he added. “We are not trying to blind you or blind the public in any way, but it is distinctly stated that thia has to be paid for by striking the special rate over the whole city.” Continuing, he said that the penny rate would yield £4821. leaving about £2)000 to be found in some other way. The works to be commenced would require the approval of the public works department. The committee was satisfied work could be commenced at once if the council gave authority. Another clause, asked that the council should confine itself to provide work for bona fide residents of tho city. It would bo unfair if the ratepayers were called upon to pay for the provision of work for those who did not live in the city. . That threw the responsibility on the outlying boroughs of providing for their own . men. Another clause of the report provided that the man with the greatest responsibility should be given work first. Then it was provided that the work should be under the Works Committee or the Reserves Committee of the City Council, that the work be supervised by the council’s own staff, and that any engineering in connection with the works would bo done bv the council. The labour required would be engaged by the Labour Department.. It had the list of men out of work, and it was suggested .it ‘ should take tho responsibility of nominating the most necessitous cases. The last clause of the report provided that any assistance in a form other than work should be provided

by the Hospital Board. The City Council contributed half the money to the board for the purpose, and it was considered tbe board should shoulder any additional burden. If the council approved of the report a schedule of works would be submitted. Cr Black asked if it were the fault of the people of Dunedin that immigrants who had not been here for six months were unemployed. Cr Clark said he had no objection to the addition of “or immigrants who had arrived in Dunedin witUin the past two or three months.” In the opinion of Cr Mitchell, there was no necessity for such alteration. It was decided to bracket the clauses for married men with no dependents and unmarried men with dependents. Cr Munro said he thought that clause 3 would entail a lot of hardship. Many lived outside the limits because thej' could not afford homes in the city. “Other local bodies have the same resources as the city has,” said the Mayor. “In any case, we are not permitted to spend money on the ratepayers of other districts.” Cr Clark said 1-e was rather astonished that any councillors should object to clause 3. It was surely not suggested that surrounding boroughs were not able to do for themselves what the city was doing for itself.

A list of work suggested by the city engineer and the superintendent of reserves was referred to a sub-committee consisting of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, and the chairman of the Finance, Reserves, and Works Committees, to arrange certain of them for a start on Monday. The council then went into committee on the question of the wages clause. The clause was adopted, Cr Munro requesting that his protest against only the relief rates of wages being paid be recorded.

The report was adopted, and the subcommittee then met to draw up a list of immediate work. The sub-committee made arrangements for work to absorb 80 men to be commenced yesterday morning. The work will include the formation of the road at the back of Logan Park, the removal of a bank at the cutting in High street, the formation of Sea View terrace, preparing ground in Harcourt street as a children’s playground, and improvements to the Unity ground. It was reported by the Labour Department that on Saturday the number of unemployed men on'the books was 434, of whom 245 were married. WELLINGTON’S WORKLESS. GOVERNMENT AND CITY COUNCIL CO-OPERATE. WELLINGTON. June 18. By next week about 150 local unemployed will be placed in work through the combined .efforts of the Government and the City Council. RUGBY UNION’S AID. MATCH TO RAISE FUNDS. WELLINGTON, June 14. A. desire to assist in relieving the present unemployment position was expressed by the Management Committee of the Wellington Rugby Union last evening, and a proposal to set apart a playing Saturday for the purpose of a big drive for funds met with full approval. In dealing with i he question of a charity Saturday, Mr Prendeville expressed the opinion that this /ear the proceeds should be devoted wholly to charitable objects. Help for unemployment appealed to him very strongly, and he suggested that 50 per cent, of tbe proceeds of charity Saturday should go to the unemployed, the remainder to go to other charitable purposes. The suggestion was endorsed by the committee, and Saturday, July 2, was set apart for the purpose. POSITION IN WAIRARAPA. APPEAL TO LOCAL BODIES. MASTERTON. June 17. A meeting of unemployed was held in Masterton to-night, over 80 being present. It was stated that there were over 100 men in. town at present out of work. A committee was set up to approach both the borough and county councils, requesting the commencement of some relief work, and also to communicate a request to the Minister of Public Works to proceed with the employment of relief gangs on. the Mount Bruce highway between Eketahuna and Masterton. as was promised several weeks ago, or to commence public works jobs in some other part of the Wairarapa. GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY. RELIEF WAGE BASIS. WELLINGTON. June 17. Disappointment was expressed by several members at the Wellington City Council meeting with the Government’s decision to pay subsidy on the basis of only 12s and 9s per day. The Mayor said that as th© council was giving 12s and 14s, the subsidy, instead of being a half extra, would only be about one-third.