OTOKO RELIEF WORKS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16497, 1 August 1924, Page 5

OTOKO RELIEF WORKS.

NOT FAVORED BY WORKLESS

MEN REFUSE TO GO

During the past Week there has been a considerable amount of agitation with a view to providing work for the local unemployed, and' upon the representations of the Mayor, Mr. George Wildish, the Public Works Department decided to provide work for twenty men on the Otoko Hill. At the time it was considered that further work should he provided, it being pointed out that there were at least twice that number of married men alone desiring work. From enquiries made to-day, however, it appears that a large majority of the unemployed do not actually want work—at any rate not on the Otoko hill.

The position is little less than remarkable. The Mayor alone has a. list of forty married men with an aggregate of 121 dependents allegedly in need of work. It was primarily for the benefit of these men that work was offered at Otoko, and yet, notwithstanding the apparent seriousness cf their condition, when the work was offered them only fourteen were willing t ogo. In addition to the Mayor’s list of unemployed there are 62. names on the books of the local office of the Labor Department, and although many names doubtless appear on both lists, it is clear that the number desiring work is considerably in excess of the figures given. The position now is that the Department has started special works, and there are not sufficient men available.

No reason is given for the disinclination of the men to accept the work that is offered them. It has never beem suggested that any of the relief works are a “workers’ paradise,” hut at the same time it is recognised that the- work at Otoko is easily the best employment of this nature that has been offered. The men are paid by results, on the cooperative! system, and last year it was found that many made quite reasonable wages out of it. The fourteen men selected to go havei either proceeded to tlia work, or will be going in a day or two, and at- the present time there are vacancies for at least six more men.