UNEMPLOYED’S ADVOCATE

Taranaki Daily News, 14 July 1933, Page 10

UNEMPLOYED’S ADVOCATE

NON-REPRESENTATION ALLEGED.

ADJUTANT McKENZIE'S PROTEST.

Alleging that the Hawera unemployed had' no actual representative on the local relief committee, Adjutant McKenzie made a vigorous protest at a meeting of unemployed on Wednesday night. Action in the matter was deferred till the next meeting. ‘ The Mayor (Mr. J. E. Campbell), who presided, disagreed with Mr. McKenzie and maintained that Mr. J. McAneny was regarded by the others of the “upstairs” committee as the men’s representative. Mr. McKenzie said that at tire original meeting of citizens in 1930 when the unemployment relief committee was elected, Mr. McAneny was elected as a workers’ or trades unions’ representative and had always considered himself as such. While he had nothing against Mr. McAneny personally, Mr. McKenzie thought that the unemployed men should be officially represented, and that their representative should be whole-heartedly an advocate for the interests of the unemployed. The man need not come from the ranks of the unemployed, but he must be biassed in their favour. The Mayor said that although Mr. McAneny was regarded as the men’s representative, they were, if he had lost their confidence, at liberty to appoint another man in his place. That man would then automatically become a member of the general committee and would almost certainly be elected to the “upstairs” executive.

Such a .representative, Mr. Campbell urged, should come from the ranks of the men, and should be as impartial as was possible, not a biassed advocate. The discussion originated when the meeting approved the action of the SelfHelp Club in sending a deputation to the “upstairs” committee asking for the admission of two unemployed representatives to that body. Mr. McKenzie said the deputation had received a most unfavourable hearing. The Mayor: We regard it as an expression of lack of confidence in us. Mr. McKenzie: It is not that, but an expression of a desire for closer cooperation.