UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19806, 23 May 1934, Page 10

UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE

GOLD PROSPECTORS’ RIGHTS

ARRANGEMENTS FOR KING’S BIRTHDAY The Timaru Unemployment Committee met last night. Present: The Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite), chairman, the Revs. Father Murphy, S.M., Clyde Carr, M.P., J. Milburn Stewart; Messrs H. G. Naylor. E. G. Cliffin, H. J. Mathers, J. McCort, A. Moore. R. B. Hart, J. G. Leckie, and S. Lang. Referring to a complaint made at a recent meeting that company rights were being advanced over the heads of unemployed relief workers who had done the spade work in prospecting for gold under the Board’s scheme, the Commissioner (Mr G. C. Godfrey) replied that the matter had been the subject of a good deal of correspondence between the Board, the Mines Department and the Mining Executive Committees in Central Otago. In view of the amendment to the Mining Act, which was passed in the closing stages of the 1932-33 session, whereby the Warden had no power to grant applications for mining privileges in areas which were being prospected or developed under the Board’s scheme, without the prior consent of the Minister of Mines, there was very little possibility of company rights being granted over the heads of subsidised unemployed, unless the Minister was satisfied that such action would be beneficial to the mining industry. The Commisisoner asked for further particulars and the names of the men whose claims were alleged to have been jeopardised. Mr Carr stated that he would undertake to investigate the matter. King’s Birthday Holiday. A circular from the Board stated that the King’s Birthday would be regarded as a holiday for all relief workers other than those engaged under schemes 4a, 4b and 4d, gold prospectors under schemes 5 and Ba, and schemes 7 and 11. Any relief worker who was eligible under those terms, and who would ordinarily be employed on that day. would be paid as though he had worked, but any worker who would ordinarily be standing down would not be paid. The Mayor stated that that day he had received a letter from the Minister of Internal Affairs stating that the representations he had made in connection with a proposal to have the whole funds of alluvial gold art unions devoted to the relief of unemployment had been noted. He had forwarded to the Mayor of Christchurch a letter supporting the proposal. It was unanimously decided to endorse the Mayor’s action in the matter.