RELIEF FOR UNEMPLOYED

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1928, Page 9

RELIEF FOR UNEMPLOYED

DISTRESS IN NEW PLYMOUTH APPEAL FOR FUNDS TO BE MADE. SERIOUS POSITION DISCLOSED. Unemployed men number 144 in New Plymouth, according to the latest registrations. Ninety-two of them are married and they have 322 dependents. The Taranaki Hospital Board has spent during the past ten months £4240 for charitable relief. To devise means of meeting the situation a public meeting presided over by the Mayor (Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths) was held in ‘the Whiteley Hall last night. A public appeal for funds through the Press was decided on. The money, it was suggested, should be spent mainly on road construction work. The following committee was set up to deal with the situation: The Mayor, Mr. G. E. Bellringer, M.P., Mesdanies E. A. Walker, C. H. Burgess and C. H. Weston, the Rev. T. R. Richards, Field Major Wyatt, of th© Salvation Army, Messrs F. T. Bellringer, R. Fulton, p. E. Stainton, T. McPhillips, 8. G. Smith, T. C. List, G. R. A. Whiting and J. Jemison. All profits above £2O from the forthcoming sports meeting of the New Plymouth Motor-Cycle Club will be devoted to the fund, Mr, A. E. Kretchmar announced. In expressing pleasure that there was such a good attendance, Mr. Griffiths said he regretted exceedingly that circumstances necessitated the meeting, but those associated with the relief of distress in the town realised that the time had come when something must be done, and done quickly, to meet the unemployment position. The register at present contained the names of 144 men —92 of them married — with 322 dependents. When they realised that all these men and their dependents were without work it could be understood that something must be done. Mr. Griffiths moved that an appeal should be made for funds to provide work for the unemployed in New Plymouth. MUCH DISTRESS IN THE TOWN. Mr. M. Fraser, in seconding, said that at the hospital they had 'been directly in touch with distress in the town. He assured them that the distress in this town was much more severe and alarming than most people realised. During the past fortnight the secretary of the board had been away, and it had been necessary for him, as chairman of the board, to attend at the office. From ten o’clock till five o’clock applicants had come for charitable aid. Thirty families were being supported by the board. When he said supported he meant only the merest amount to live on. A man, his wife and three children received 12s fid for groceries and 2s fid for meat a week. How were they going to live on that? he asked. The board last year allocated £866 and spent more. For the first ten months of the present financial year £4240 had been spent. The board had overstepped the limit and next week members were to go to Wellington to put the matter before the Minister. The board simply could not go any further in charitable aid. At five o’clock that day a man and his wife had come to him and said they had been thrown out of their house by the landlord. A good 'Samaritan bad given them bed and breakfast, but the board -would have to provide the next bed and breakfast. Mr. S. J. Smith asked if there were any proposal to make as to how t-he money should be spent and what work was to be done. These questions would have a direct bearing on the response to the appeal. "As far as I have been able to gather the consensus of opinion is that any money raised should be spent in road construction and that is the class of work I should suggest,” said the Mayor.

Work on the waterfront was the subject of some criticism by Mr. A. Wallace. Just recently, he said, the union had opened the books and six new members had been taken in. "I maintain there is sufficient work at the wharves for at least another 20 union members,” he said. When two Home liners and several smaller boats were in port nonunion labour had to be called on. He asked the committee to ascertain whether more members could not be admitted to th© union. He -contended there was room for them. Most of the unemployed men in the room would bear out what he had said, and the union members present must know it was true. Mr. G. R. A. -Whiting, said he was not present officially as a'representative of the Labour Department, but as a private citizen. He did not know where the list of unemployed quoted from had been obtained, but he would ask all unemployed men to register with the Labour Department so that the list —the only one the Government would recognise —might be forwarded to the authorities.

CHARITY NOT WANTED.

He did not desire to throw cold water on the proposal, but he could not see where the motion was going to lead them. He suggested it should be withdrawn and that a sub-committee similar to the one last year should be appointed. This could procure work for the men and the Mayor could call for public subscriptions. It was not charity the men wanted. (Hear! Hear!) They were anxious for work. The same conditions prevailed in some of the department’s sub-districts, and he considered about 90 per cent, of the applicants genuinely wanted work. A woman present asked whether it would not be better to see that men holding positions from competent unemployed were made to give them up. Some men were drawing £6 or £7 a week superannuation and were working as well, thus keeping other men workless. Then there were positions held by elderly women, who were keeping out boys with the necessary education._ _ Mr Fraser pointed out that families with 'unemployed breadwinners were not the only ones to bo considered. Charitable relief was being given to the unemployed families, 10 families whose workers were ill ot disabled, eight foj* l1 ’ lies whose husbands and fathers had abandoned them, and other families brought out under the Government immigration system. Though the lastnamed had been her© for months they had been unable to get work. Their nominators were not able to get them any either. He hoped the committee would remember these people. One family of nine children had no father. With reference to the suggestion that more men might be admitted to the

watersiders’ union, Mr, E. O’Dea explained that he had had a fair share of work at the port, but his wages for twelve months had not averaged more than £3 8s a week. That did not indii cate there was room for more union members. On Mr. Wallace jumping up to fur'her explain his side of the question, the. Mayor said they were not there to discuss union grievances, but to relieve distress. Mr. O’Dea: I was just explaining. The Mayor: The suggestion that more men might work at the wharves wi’J be looked into by. the committee. QUESTION FOR COUNCIL Mr. A. B. Gibson thought that before agreeing to the motion it might be better to await the result of Mr. Fraser’s interview with the Minister. He strong.y objected to doling out charity in any manner. The question was one for the council or other authorities. Mr. F. Stansfield said the carpenters’ union had 100 members out of employment. The same trouble existed in Australia, the Old Country and elsewhere, and they had got to get at the root of Mr. J. Jemison moved as an amendment to the Mayor’s proposal that the council should be asked to form Devon Street out to South Road. He understood the council could raise a loan for unemployment without submitting the question to the ratepayers. He had been in the country for 48 years, but had never known such wide-spread unemployment. The Government was to blame through its policy of lowering wages and bringing down the standard of living. The amendment was seconded by Mr. Stansfield. No working man required charity or wanted it, he said. A man had told him that day that one of the most important improvements In New Plymouth was the formation of Devon Street West to carry the growing traffic through to the port and thq coast. Another speaker contended the situation was entirely due to the policy of Mr. Coates and his Government. He thought the Government should provide money to clear vacant lands of noxious weeds and put them in order for settlement. They needed to get rid of Mr. Coates and his Government.

“Is this a political meeting, or waatt” asked somebody. The Mayor ruled that it was not, and the speaker desisted. It would take some time to get the money and make the necessary arrangements for the loan work if the amendment were carried, the Mayor pointed out. In the meantime the men wpuld be starving. The amendment was lost and the motion then agreed to. “What is to become of the man who is unable to use a pick and shovel!” asked someone. The Mayor: His case will be dealt with. “Well, I know one man in this room at present who fainted three times through want of nourishment on tho last relief works,” was the reply. "When he went back the third time there was no work for him.” Mr. Stansfield suggested they might follow the example of another town in sending out circulars asking householders to notify the committee should they want any carpentering, gardening, etc., done. Mr. S. J. Smith asked what the rate of pay on relief works would be. It all depended on that. He could probably place men, but the farmers were not In a position to-day to pay men. say, 14s a day. The Mayor: The committee has the confidence of this meeting and anything of that nature should be left to it.