UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 48

UNEMPLOYMENT.

POSITION IN DUNEDIN.

OUTLOOK SERIOUS

A special meeting of the Otago Trades and Labour Council was held on Thursday in the Trades Hall to consider the position.

Much concern was expressed that the unemployment position was so acute locally so early in the year. If there " rt j so i niany unemployed now. it was asked, what would be the position in the winter if immediate steps were not taken to cope with the trouble? It was decided that a deputation should wait upon the Dunedin City Council at its meeting on Wednesday evening for the purpose, of urging it *•- -nt municipal works in hand for the relief of unemployment. Messrs F. Jones and J. Robinson (president and secretary respectively of the Trades and Labour Council) were appointed as the deputation. Subsequently, the following wire was sent to the Prime Minister Three hundred and fifteen unemployed, with 544 dependents, registered in Dunedin. Ivegister incomplete. Will Government put in hand immediately special works to relive position? Please reply urgent.— Robinson Secretary. Trades and Labour Council. Trades Hall. Dunedin.” The Prime Minister (Sir J. G. Ward) ?. n morning sent to the secretarv the following message:—“Your telegram re unemployment received. Am looking into representations urgently, and will reply later.—Joseph Ward.” The secretary of the Otago Labour Council on Friday' sent the following letter to Mr G. A. Lewin, town clerk: — “I am instructed by the Otago Labour Council to request the Dunedin City Council to receive a deputation from this body at its meeting on Wednesday next for the purpose of placing before'it the seriousness of the unemployment position in Dunedin in the hope that your council will render such assistance as is necessary to cope with the problem. I haie to advise you that we opened an unemployment register in the Trades Hall on Tuesday last, and when I tell you that in the four days ending to-day 341 persons, with 577 dependents, have registered as unemployed (and this at the end of February), I am sure you will agree that steps must be taken immediately to check the evil before the winter sets in. It is to place these matters before the Dunedin City Council that my council wishes to send a deputation to your next meeting, and we respectfully ask you to receive us. The deputation will consist of Mr F. Jones (president of the Otago Labour Council) and myself. I may say we have already communicated with the Prime Minister, requesting Government assistance, and we have his assurance that he is investigating the matter urgently.”

POSITION IN INVERCARGILL.

A SLIGHT EASING REPORTED

INVERCARGILL, February 26. A slight easing of the unemployed position is reported in Invercargil, according to the Labour Bureau returns. Fortyseven men are in search of employment as compared with 48 last week. There were 17 new applications registered during the week and 12 withdrawals. One man was sent to the Public Works and five were placed in private employment, and of the 47 now seeking billets 43 are fit for hard work and four for light work.'

AN INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE. WELLINGTON, February 25. An Unemployment Investgation Committee is to be convened at an early date, according to an announcement made by the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward). Sir Joseph Ward explained that the set ting up of the committee was the result of the deliberations of the National Industrial Conference of last year. The late Government had decided to appoint such a committee consisting of the Under-Secretary of the Immigration Department as representing the Govern ment, Messrs W. D. Hunt and T. B. Bishop as representing the employers, and Messrs J. Roberts and R. M'Bride as representing the employees. The new Cabinet had added to the committee th? secretary of the Labour Department The Prime Minister added that the com mittee would be called together at an early date. LABOUR COUNCIL’S REPORT. The secretary of the Otago Trades and Labour Council (Mr ’J. Robinson) has sent to the Prime Minister the following report on the unemployment situation in Dunedin:—

“ During the four days and a-half on which the register was open at the Trades Hall, Dunedin, 401 persons, 26 of whom are females and 375 males, registered as unemployed. Of these 197 are married and 204 single. One hundred and twenty, five have no dependents, 93 have one dependent, 77 have two, 46 have three, 36 have four, 11 have five, six have six, £wo have seven, one has eight, and one has 19. It will thus be seen that the total number of dependents amounts to 661, which number, added to the total number of unemployed registered, makes a grand total of 1062 people who have no means of support at the present time. And this is not all. The secretary of the local Plumbers and Gasfitters’ Union handed me a list of 22 meh, members of his union who had registered with him as unemployed. None of the men on that list has registered at the Trades Hall. The secretary of the union advises me that the men concerned desired him to transfer their names to the Trades Hall list. This

I have not done, as the list supplied did not contain such details as the number of dependents, etc. However, we may take it as a fact that these meh are unemployed, and will have to be provided for. Ihe Roslyn Woollen Mills also discharged a considerable number of hands, but none of these has registered at the Trades Hall. I am informed also that Messrs Kempthorne and Prosser on Friday last discharged seven of their hands, none of whom has registered. In addition, there are many young people of both sexes of an employable age who have never been employ ed in their lives, notwithstanding that many of them have the advantage of a post-primary, and in some cases, a secoji- - dary school, education. I feel sure it would not be an exaggeration to say that at the present time in Dunedin over 500 people are unemployed. “With further reference to those who have registered, our list includes 186 labourers, three factory hands, eight clerks, seven metal workers’ assistants, three engine-drivers, 10 salesmen, one window dresser, two printers’ machinists, nine storemen, nine motor drivers, two horse drivers, five blacksmiths, 35 carpenters, three cabinetmakers, six butchers, three quarrymen, five farm labourers, seven engineers, four boot repairers, two boot finishers, five bootmakers, two grocers’ assistants, three drapers assistants, eight gardeners, six bakers, one hat blocker, two barmen, two boilermakers, one plasterer, one coal miner, two porters, one horse cover machinist, two motor painters, two brick and tile makers, two motor mechanics, two timekeepers (each of these men lost an arm at the war), one liftman, two cycle mechanics, . one sawmill machinist one machine moulder, two plumbers, one ai or, one patternmaker, one carter, one coppersmith, one commercial traveller five painters, four electrical wiremen, one confectioner, one roofing expert, one accountant one jeweller, one timber tallv. man 12 domestics, three cooks, five waitresses, and one dressmaker. Of ihe above-mentioned persons, 29 have been unemployed for one week, 10 for two weeks. 13 for three weeks, 22 for four weeks, 13 for five weeks, 16 for six weeks, 3o for two months, 49 for three months, 33 for four months, 15 for five months. 37 for six months, 14 for seven months, 10 for eight months, 10 for nine months, six for 10 months, one for 11 months, 23 for 12 months, one for 13 months, four for 14 months, one for 15 months, eight for 18 months, 16 for two years, three for two years and a-half, four tor three years, and one for three years and a-half. The total amount of time lost to .hese people is 7866 weeks, or an average of 19J weeks per person. “In connection with the foregoing. I would respectfully direct- your attention to the fact that the amount of unemplo? ment as disclosed by our register would ordinarily be considered a very serious lidwinter total for Dunedin; but when we remember that we are just at the beginning of autumn, the position must be regarded as little short of des- ’ perate. . From now on the seasonal occupations in the country will be slackening off, which must inevitably create a drift to the city, with consequent serious aggravation of the unemployment here. We know that the unemployment problem is not one that can be solved easily or quickly, but we know also that the necessities of the unemployed and their dependents are immediate, and cannot wait the development of measures designed to attack the evil at its roots. We know that when private enterprise cannot provide employment for the peopL the State must do what , rivate enterprise has failed to do. Knowing these tilings, we approach you with confidence, secure in the belief that you will immediately put in hand in this district works to absorb our unemployed.

“ We are approaching the Dunedin City Council also, in the hope that once again it will shoulder its responsibilities in this matter as it has done in the past. Thanking you in anticipation of an early and favourable reply.”