REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON "UNEMPLOYED."

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3260, 9 March 1885, Page 3

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON " UNEMPLOYED."

(By Telegraph.) Wellington, March 7. The Commissioners appointed to inquire into the question of the unemployed m the Canterbury district have handed m their report, -which is dated January 7th, and signed by Thomas Carmichael, F. Corley and Win. Powell. The Commissioners state that after taking voluminous evidence they find that for the past two years there has been a large falling off m the employment for working men, and there has been considerable increase m distress and impoverishment. 150 persons were examined, including representatives from various trades, and after the deduction of a reasonable percentage for cases of indolence, etc., there remains a large residuum of men capable and willing to work who have not been earning wages at half time during the last two years. They also found that a large number of mechanics who have been brought to the colony at great expense) have left the colony for Victoria and New South Wales. This fact leads the Commissioners to think and suggest that something is wrong m our social economy when an exodus of this nature takes place, and Government have periodically to come forward to find work to enable those that remain to earn their own bread. The wages paid, they assert, are sufficiently high to enable ordinarily providential people to live comfortably. This hundreds cannot do, for the following reasons : — Ist, the towns are overbuilt, and consequently there is now a paralysis of the building trade ; 2nd. There is a serious diminution of expenditure on all public workß. Another important cause they mention of the diminution of employment, especially among farm laborers, has been the curtailment of the . spending powers of the farmers consequent on bad seasons and the high rate of railway freight during the past year. The dearness of money also causes a diminution of money and labor and considerably hampers commerce, local industries and agriculture. Referring to the expenditure on charitable aid, etc., m the Canterbury district, it is mentioned that for the year ended 80th June, 1884, it exceeded that of the previous year by £962. At the different places they visited they report as follows : — Lyttelton, little or no distress ; Rangiora, distress caused by retrenchment of farmers; Kaiopoi, pretty well the same hb Rangiora. At Waimate there was a large number out of employment, as the expenditure of public money had been largely curtailed. At Timaru they found there had been an exodus of a large number of men m search of work. At Ashburton the mon complain they cannot get enough work, and numbers have gone elsewhere. At Temuka it wag the same as at Waimate. There were no complaints at Little Elver or Waiau, but at Kaituna the men complain that the rate of pay is too small. The Commissioners state that tho Mayors of the various Boroughs they visited have gloomy forebodings as to the prospects j

of working men m tho future, unless something more than usual occurs to revive trade. They suggest the early development of a scheme for settling laborers on land, or m other words some further and systematic adoption of the principle of village settlement. By this means laborers could be spread over the colony on Bpots near to where they would be most likely to find work. Full details of how these settlements might be worked are given m the report. They favor tho construction of tho Eust and West Coast Railway as it would afford employment for men. They also suggest men being allowed to take up settlements along the proposed line, as it would m a few years bo the means of adding traffic to the line. When tho North Island trunk line is under way they suggest that the Government should offer facilities of cheap transfers to enable the southern unemployed to reach the works. Pending the commencement of those two large works, tho Commission think that work might be found for men m work that would be reproductive to the colony — that is m replanting forests to replaco those burnt or cut down. They also consider local industries should bo fostered. In conclusion they remark that most of tho material imported could be made as cheap m the colony and give employment to a large number of skilled men. They think that anj steps which would tend to relievo farmers and others of the heavy interest on capital must bo of immense importance to the laborers. From enquiries made they consider thoso requiring employment are up to the average m respect of industry, integrity and sobriety. The reason of the signature of Mr Whitelaw, one of tho Commissioners, not appearing to the report is that he retired from tho enquiry at his own request. The Chairman (Mr J. D. McPherson) has embodied his views m a separate report, and it differs m some respects from the above.

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