UNEMPLOYED SEEK WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 16 June 1931, Page 9

UNEMPLOYED SEEK WORK

. POSITION OF LOCAL BODIES. PUBLiq MEETING TO BE HELD. With the cessation of the_.Ni>. 5 unemployment relief scheme at the end of this week; the position of Hawera’<s unemployed men, will be desperate ope until the' plans of the different local ■bodice to effect relief in some shape or form bear' fruit. . ’’ In -view of this fact a. deputation from the'men yesterday discussed .the question of temporary, relief with members of the unemployment committee.It was suggested that’, ’if people of the district could provide . some, .kind . of. work, if only-for an hour or twc hours or a morning, it would be of great assistance until- other , relief schemes begin operation. Householders ’.?ho can provide some work" are" hfeke'd’ to communicate with Mr. J. E. Campbell at the Hawera Borough Mr. Campbell will .apportion- the work among the men as best he can. The committee sot up by the men on Saturday waited .upon the Hawera Hospital Board ycisterd ;y, when they received a promise of all assistance possible. ■ ‘‘We don’t want to ask for charity if we can possibly avoid' it," but we can’t starve,” said’.‘the, spqkefiipan,, Mj\ As T> Faulkner. The secretary, Mr. Powell, said 265 men wero affected, by .the'jsuspcnsjon of the No. 5 scheme, and,,, the., .total of weekly wages paid was £433. What the men wanted- was the locrtl bodies -to get together and devise some- meaps Of finding work. Mr. Tregoweth suggested that the board should apply for its quota of the Government’s supply of frozen mutton. He also ' thought’ 'the board' might consider \ purchasing, .potatoes which were selling in the South Island at 32s a ton. The merr‘could do-moat of the distributing work. “No one should starve in a ‘country where there is so much to eat;” said the chairman of the board, Mr. J. S. McKay. The board could not, of course, do a great deal in the way of money. The total estimate for charitable aid was £7OO, and it appeared that wages would amount to £433 per week. An appeal should be made to the people of the district for meat and vegetables. “It is a big job to ask the board to tackle,” concluded Mr. McKay, “and it is not our job; though the Government is evidently trying .to make it ours. We will, however; do the best we can.” Mr. T. .A. Winks stated, after the deputation hid retired,."thiiii;tiie’.Hawera County Council was prepared to expend £5O a week for two or three weeks on relief work. It was decided to ask the Mayor of Hawera to call a public meeting and to apply to the Minister of Health for the board’s quota of frozen mutton. For relief purposes the general committee of the Hawera. Borough Council decided last night to place £5O a- week for two weeks at the disposal of the unemployment committee.