VISITORS TO DOSS HOUSE

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1930, Page 8

VISITORS TO DOSS HOUSE

FINE TYPE OF SETTLERS FIT FOR ANY CLASS OF WORK. TRAGIC STATE OF AFFAIRS. (By Wire—Special to News.) Auckland, Last Night. “The position in Auckland regarding unemployment is tragic,” said Mr. William Wallace, chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, to-day. “Usually at this time of the year things are beginning to brighten up, but this- year, though the winter is over and gone, the number of unemployed increases instead of decreases. “Larst night I paid a visit to the-night shelter of the Auckland City Mission, commonly known as the deiss house, and I was much distressed. The organiser, Mr. Bart. Clark, showed me round, and I was particularly struck by the type c men occupying beds. There was none of the dead beat class about any of the 145 men I saw housed there last night by half-past eight, and fully 130 of them would be fit for any clasts ot work. , “One infill with whom I was talking said, ‘Don’t you think, Mr. Wallace, that the solution of the difficulty is to put us on the land?’ 1 said. ‘Undoubtedly.’ That incident showed the class of men hit by this terrible unemployment. There is nothing of the down and out about them. “The records .of the shelter produced for my inspection showed that from May 23 until last night 18,025 free beds had been provided and 36.821 free meals given. In the main dormitory there jkcre 96 beds, very close, to one- another of necessity, and in the smaller rooms bunks two deep had lieen knocked up. All this accommodation was full last night, and men were lying on the floor. The record for any one night is 168 men.