HELP FOR UNEMPLOYED

Taranaki Daily News, 14 April 1932, Page 7

HELP FOR UNEMPLOYED

SCHEME TO SECURE WORK ISSUE OF "REAL CREDIT NOTES.” ONE TREE HILL WORKERS’ PLAX ' A novel scheme for the assistance of the unemployed has been devised. .by tbe One Tree Hill Workers’ Association. Details of the proposal were made known on Monday evening, when a deputation from the association waited upon the One Tree Hill Borough Council and asked for its support and cooperation in the scheme. “We do not want to receive anything for nothing,’’ declared Mr. W. 1 J. Anderson, chairman of the association. It was proposed, he said, to make a house-to-house canvass in the borough. In return for any money or goods received the householder would be handed "a real credit note” which would be used to pay the member of the association sent along to do whatever work was required. All classes of workers—gardeners, painters, carpenters—were represented in the association, and the householder would be guaranteed a good job. The money collected would be used to buy goods at wholesale prices, and these would be handed to members in return for the credit notes. It was intended that the scheme should help unemployed of the borough when not engaged on relief work. A number of business men living in the borough had shown considerable enthusiasm over the scheme.

Further details of the proposal were given by Mr. A. A. Reid, secretary of the association. It would bo necessary, he said, for every man to do work in some shape or form before he could benefit. All money would be paid to the association and not to the individual. It was proposed that each man should have a disc, which would be put in a bowl and drawn when work was offering. Once the disc had been drawn it would not be replaced in the bowl until all the other discs had been drawn. Thus if there were five carpenters in the association the owner of the first disc would not have the opportunity of securing more work until the other four had each had a job. It was considered, that this system would result in a fair distribution of the work. CO-OPERATION SOUGHT. It was realised, by the association that the scheme could not be carried out unless the association had the co.-opera-tion of the council and the residents of the district. There were upwards of 78 men in the association, and others had yet to be approached. The deputation asked that the council should give the association every assistance. In reply to a question Mr. Reid said that the credit notes would be issued in four values —ss, 2s 6d, Is and 6d. All would be numbered and care would be taken that others were not forged. After seven w*eeks the notes would depreciate at the rate of 25 per cent, for every seven days, the idea being to keep the notes in circulation. Householders engaging a man for a job would be asked to pay the relief scale —there would be no distinction for any particular class of tradesmen. “I am certainly pleased to see that the unemployed men in our borough are something to help themselves,” declared the Mayor, Mr. I. J. Goldstine, in assuring the deputation of the council’s support. “As Mayor of the borough, I feci it is my duty at this juncture to refer to the threatened strike of unemployed,” continued Mr. Goldstine. “Let me exhort you to consider the matter very seriously before deciding on any line, of action. For the scheme you have just detailed, you are relying upon the residents of the borough, and although it appears that you are in no way the instigators of the strike, you will have to think it over carefully. It is for you to consider whether you are going to alienate the residents of the district by joining in with the rest if a strike is declared. Frankly, I fear a strike might kill your project at its inception.” When the deputation had retired, the council decided to defer discussion of the scheme until next Monday evening.