R.S.A. CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1921, Page 5

R.S.A. CONFERENCE.

■UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM* APPEAL FOR MORE WORiEL By Telegraph.— Press Association. Dunedin, June 13. The PuS.A. conference discussed on (Saturday afternoon and evenings unemployment, adopting largely the report of the Repatriation Committee urged the Government and local bodies to put in hand all possible works and where urgent works could not be proceeded with for lack of funds the committee feels that an appeal by the association for contributions to a fund placed on deposit with local bodies would meet a ready response. The committee also thought that the Government should he urged to give local bodies greater power B to spend money and to raise loans and that full current wages should be paid on all such works. An amendment by the Rev. Mr. Walker, seconded by General Russell, to delete the clause about full rates for relief works, was lost, but it was decided to add to the clause “all proposed works should be of a nature to justify full wages.” It was also resolved that the conference calls upon returned soldiers to join in fighting the trade depression by the practice of industry, thrift and goodwill and trusts the same spirit wil permeate all classes of the community. The conference also adopted a resolution that during the present unemployment crisis the Repatriation Department should consider all cases of sustenance allowance on their merits, regardless of the date of soldiers’ discharge. The committee affirms the remit that men who have entered the public services since 1914 be dispensed with before those returned soldiers who joined the service on their return from the front.

Yesterday before the conference ended Dr. Boxer read a memorandum on soldier problems. The following office-bearers were elected:—President, General Russell; vicepresident, Mr. D. S. Smith (Wellington) ; executive, Messrs. Long, Andrews (Auckland), Batten, Johnson, Harper, Fair (Wellington), Leadley, Inglis (Canterbury), Forbes and Colonel MacDonald (Otago). The Gisborne representative has yet to be appointed. The next conference will be held in Wellington.