THE COMING WINTER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17238, 19 April 1930, Page 2

THE COMING WINTER

PACTS TO FACE STATE SILENCE LOCAL BODIES ANXIOUS That it was time something definite wag stated in regatd' to what is to- be done in the relief of unemployment this winter was the vie* expressed' by a ! well-known business man of Wellington I It was definitely shown at the Municipal Conierence, he said, that local bodies were disinclined to spend as much on ,- the relief of unemployment, unless assisted to a much greaW extent by the Government, arid ho was of the'opinion' that had the Stato the intention of-more generously subsidising local bodies lit" this respect something would have: bWi heard of it by now. "It is a mistaken kindness to put off I the inevitable announcement that string: ency of finarieo will* prevent; anything like the same- extent of relief 'woifc being started.this year that there were last," he said; "itldeed. it is : very wrong", by silence, to let people think that everything is all right. ft will only mean an influx of workers to Wellington who, in the absence of notice to the contrary, will assume that an extensive programme of relief works is only I Awaiting sanction by the City - Couricil, las was the case last winter. It seenis I that everybody is waiting for* somebody else, to be the first to make the unwelV romo annonicerrterit that/ relief works-will he curtailed. Naturally, the local bodies, including the Wellington City Council, cannot announce ; their* intentions until tliay are advised of 1 the Government's 6$ attitude. le is the Government's duty to "immediately face the position, and to I ensure, that not only do workers not flock to the big cities for the winter, but to prevent an influx from other countries tp add to-the burdens of those who; are still in employment here." j EfFLUX FROM AUSTRALIA

Another man who has taken a considerable part- in relieving unemployment in the past drew attention to the fact that every vessel from Australia lands people looking for work. He men- • tinned the fact that Australians had-ap-plied for work- on the MU Victoria tunnel, as showing the trend of event*. He , was also of the opinion that the fines ►for stowaways wero insufficient to deter them, and a stricter watch should be kenfe on deportations in such cases. ?< was utated by one who is interpitcl in social welfare that New Zca--1 land was one of the r ew countries which

did not stipulate the possession of a certain amount of cash in- hahd before immigrants- wete allowed- to land; Tile United j States, in its prosperous days, 'had this- provision, which was made ns ;a deterrent to overcrowding the labor market and' trades, and' many other countries, in as prosperous a state as the Dominion was until lately, had insisted on it). It was-tinle; he thought, that similar step's"- wera taken here, instead of inferentially "boosting" the country by silence overseas and- leaving uninvited immigrants to find out the position for themselves.