EMPLOYMENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13666, 7 August 1908, Page 6

EMPLOYMENT.

DEPARTMENTAL ENQUIRIES. Per Piess Association. WELLINGTON, August 6. The petition ivom liie unemployed to .the i'lvuiicr lias bcui considered by the Labour Department and a. ciose iuveougauon maue. xn its report the Departsays thcic. is considerable .distress among carpenteis and pamceis ac present, thougn many who sigiKtl the petition have smco obtained employment: in regard to tlie nanus of cooks and waitcis appearing on tlie list, they are uuxitted lor hard manual labour and are more or lets out. of work at any period of 'the year, Several men who signed were merely out of a job for a lew days. As ordinarily happens iu these particular trades the ' Oliief inspector says that apparently the petition was signed ju most cases on jiersuaision of the persons who originated it; indeed, one of the prime movers admitted that many of. the signatures were not bona tide unemployed, while in several instances men who signed the petition had ho intention of taking work If it was offered. 'The following are extracts showing the circumstances of some out of over a hundred cases investigated—Porter, single, N. Z.R., offered work by tliej Department and refused a job at Rongotea, most abusive and tlie police had to be telephoned for to quieten him; he lias signed the petition in 'two places. Hotel hand, landlady states that he went away yesterday to get married. J.M. says when he; wants work , lie can get it. Painter, single, confidentially informed by his union secretary that he is too fond of painting his ncse to spend much time painting houses. Labourer, single, been out three months, refused work on railway construction, -used most abusive language when offered it by tindepartments officers, said to be employed in was oue of the organisers of the agitation. H.S., gone 'to Napier for a holiday. K.W., labourer, married, sixty years of age, three song working, does odd jobs, cutting firewood ,etc., is not anxious to get a start, reckons it was time he was knocking off. Late proprietor, of hotel, he could not work if lie would. Labourer away from his lodgings at time of visit, landlord volunteered the information that he was a man who spent a good deal of time in the neighbourhood of the Quetn's statue (implying that he'' was not' over fond of work). no trace, Ser-

geant of Police treated the inquiry as a huge joke, says has tome property and doesn't want: work as it would interfere with his main occupation—drinking heel'.