THE UNEMPLOYED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9307, 6 August 1908, Page 1

THE UNEMPLOYED.

1 — * [Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, August 5. Wellington is not a very promising held for the general labourer just now, but men continue to troop into the city from other districts. Mr W. J. Reardon, secretary of the Wellington Labourers Union states that recently 200 men employed on the Nelson drainage scheme reached the end of tbeir ensagement, and many of them have ccme to Wellington. " A little while ago," added Mr Reardon, "the City Council here employed about fiOO men. JNon- the total has been reduced by 200 at leai§t. The Karori .borough Council had seventy men working, now it has twelve. The Miramar Borough Council had over sixty men ; thirty have been dismissed. P<>»r.priy^^ ; ,.©giD±racto?s; had work for about lZCTiaen not lopg a,go, but now their hands number only about thirty, and nothing of any magnitude ha 6 been started to absorb the labour that Has be*n. released." Mr Reardon has written to the Premier inquiring whether it is possible to get more men employed on t the underground work for electric lines, and has also sent a letter to the Mayor about the suburban drainage 3chome. Mr W. Morton, city engineer, remarked to-day that some wofk for the drainage project was already being done. Much of the necessary surveying was finished, and surve- T parties were now busy in Brooklyn and leland Bay. The contract for pipes would probably be fixed up this week, and soon there | should be employment for a good number of men. Matters were beine hastened on as much 86 possible. During ttie winter the City Council had done its best to keep men on the outdoor staffs; Most or the heavy work done out of revenue had been continued durine the winter, though the corporation would have saved money by deferring the tasks till the summer. A meetingof unemployed carpenters was held this afternoon, and was attended by forty men. The following resolution was passed — "That, in view of the large amount of work contemplated by the Government, including the completion of unfinished buildings and the erection of new ones on the northern main trunk railway, as shown by the report of the chief engineer, thjs meeting of unemployed carpenters arid joiners strongly urges the Government to take immediate steps to push on with this and other works for the purpose of relieving: the prevailing lack of employment for carpenters and joiners throughout the dominion."