PUBLIC MEETING at MASONIC HALL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1129, 23 September 1880, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING at MASONIC HALL.

[Owing to our reporter having left for • Tolago Bay, without transcribing his notes, we supply the following from memory by one of our staff.]. A. meeting was held last evening, in the Masonic Hall, convened by requisition to his Worship the Mayor and Chairman of Cook County Council, "to take into consideration the state of the unemployed and to devise some means of alleviating the distress of their wires andfnmiUes." Between 200 and 300 persons were present. Mx\ John Townley was voted to the chair, and expressed his regret at their being any necessity for calling the meeting, and hope that some means might be devised, and that the object of the meeting would not be futile. He believed the Mayor would move a resolution that would bear upon the matter. Captain Pokter thought it was the place of those who had signed the requisition should bring forward a resolution. Since the last meeting of the Borough Council, he had received a telegram from the Hon. Mr. Rolleston, to the effect that there was no portion of the vote available for the unemployed at Gisborne, but he would be willing toplacemen on the 'Ormond-Opotiki Road. He (Mr. Rolleston) could notfgire funds to the unemployed in the Borough or Comity, but would send them to open roads to Crown lands. The sums voted were for the Ormond-Opotiki, Waimata, Tologa, and Wairoa roads. Capt Porter presumed the Government might divert a portion of the £75,000 vote to this district. The Borough works would shortly be undertaken, and he thought that there ought not to be any unemployed after the contracts are accepted. Mr. James Habries asked the question as to how the men who were destitute to get to the proposed works. He said the Ormond-Opotiki was too far away for men without means to proceed up there, it being a distance 70 miles. Waiapu would be a much better place. Mr. Harries also spoke of the difficulty of men going to the Motu Block. He saidMhe Goeerrimeht should give them employment in the Borough. He would like to know what pay the Government were prepared to give. Mr. Allan McDonald, M.H.R.,-said _the Government had votad the' sum of; £4,200 for opening up Crown lands. The £75,000 was fur the unemployed. They should spend some portion on the Ormond-Opotiki road. Mr. Rolleston had informed him" that he was sending unemployed from other parts of the Colony to the proposed road work' Mr. Rolleston wished him to find out the number of unemployed in the district available, and the remainder required would be procured elsewhere. He would suggest to those present to signify their willingness to accept the Government work, in order that he might wire to the Minister of Public Works the number seeking employment. Mr. John Somervell said he knew that there were a great many in want of work. He thought a list should be open for the next few days. Captain Porter ( agreed with the re-, marks of Mr. Somervell. He would move the following resolution : — "That a Committee be appointed to co-oporate with the Engineers of County and Borough, in ascertaining the number of unemployed in the district willing to engage themselves on Public Works, said Committee to bring up a report at an early date, to enable the Chairman of the County Council and Mayor to bring the Bubject under the immediate) consideration of the Government j the Com .ufctee to consist of Messrs J. Sommervell, J. Harries, and W. H. Tucker, for the Borough ; Ormond : Messrs J. Maynard, and Owen Cowen ; Makaraka : S. C. Caulton ; Matawhero : T. Scrivener." Mr. J. SomerVeli, seconded the resolution. Mr. A. Grahajl had much pleasure in supporting the resolution moved by j Captain Porter, and said from what had { come before the County Council there was not much apparent distress. Mr. J. Harries advocated a standard rate of wages before the unemployed signed the requisition. Mr. J. Thomson followed with along address, which was moat part utterly ununintelligible to the audience. Mr. W. H. Tucker complained of cliquism which he said prevailed on the works now in progress. Good mechanics had no chance, as had they the tasks placed on them ; then reported as not doing a fair day's work, and discharged. He believed in a fair day's wouk for a fair day's wage. Let the work that was to be done distributed fairly and above-board. Mr. H. E. Webb rose to point out the false position in which the meeting was placed in. They had not heard a word from those who had signed the requisition calling the meeting. The two last speakersjcould not, be classed with the unemployed— one. being possessed of a considerable balance at the bank, and landed property ; the other having constant employment. Mr. Somervell was not among the unemployed, he being owner of properties. He (Mr. Webb) much deprecated the advertising this matter throughout the Colony, as it would be productive of no good. In the course of his address the speaker made some remark on the attire of one of the previous speaker, whioh reflection was the means of bringing several gentlemen on to the platform, when a series of personal altercations was indulged in quite irrelevant to the matter at issue. Mr. Fellows spoke of the distress on account of the scarcity of employment. He himself had had only a few weeks' work since Christmas. Hib family had suffered from sickness, and he at that moment was not in possession of a single copper. If you passed his house you would see it in darkness. Why 1 Because he had not the means to purchase a candle. He was willing to work at anything that might be offered. Mr. Tharratt spoke at some length. One reason why some of the requisitionists had not addressed them, was because they had not the ability. They were not shamefaaed. Men did not go about the streets saying "We're starving !" It was in their homes where it was felt most keenly. .. He knew of one instance in this town nrhere a family had only breakfasted on potatoes and salt. Another man had begged a small piece of meat to go fishing, and in place of so doing, took it to his family to make soup. The speaker, in

concluding, remarked with much emphasiß : "If things don't alter within three months, you would have cause to know it." Mr. McDonald said when he left Wellington he promised Mr-. Rolleston to ascertain the number of unemployed in the district. The resolution pro- •. posed would take a week or ten days to . bring into effect. To telegraph to the Government at once would be the most expeditious. He could not say what 'the rate of pay would be. To sign a -requisition to-night would be preferable .the resolution proposed by Captain "Porter. ; - The Chairman aug^eated. that Mr. McDonald's amendment, viz., " That a list be opened in the Hall to-night, and all those out of employment sign it," be added to the resolution, which was then put aad carried. Mr. F. J. Piesse moved that the names of Messrs. J. and A. Davis be substituted for that of Mr. Caul ton at Makaraka ; Mr. P. Barrieat Ormond in lieu of Mr. Maynard ; Mr. W. R. Ball at Matawhero in lieu of Mr. Scrivener. Mr. J. Henderson seconded the proposition, which was carried. A vote of thanks to the Cliairman terminated the meeting.