UNEMPLOYMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16452, 14 June 1921, Page 4

UNEMPLOYMENT.

PROVISION 0N PUBLIC WORX3, (Special to the “Star.”) WELLINGTON, June 13. Before the December holidays there were 1760 men employed on the Dominion’s public works- The latest figures given to a representative of the _ “Star” by the mister of Public Works, show that 4500 ordinary employees are still on the roll, while, 331 are on special relief vprk. " Unemployment.” remarked ihe Minister, '* seems to be worst in Auckland and Wellington Wo arc absorbing out-of-work men of Auckland district in road works cm C-oromandel Peninsula, while some .vili ..id Great South Road, and single men to J Waimamuku, North Auckland. There j is provision for this class of men also - at "Y\ harerata Hill, (fisborne-Napier Road, and on the Fast Coast main line from Napier north wards, as soon as nr- j raugements bar© been made with ihe ! Harbour Board. There also is work on development of tho Crown estate I near Eskdale. road work around ! Wanganui and employment on ihe 1 Dpnake-To Roti line, in Taranaki. We! have unemployed from Christchurch on the Evans’ Pass Road and can provide l for men further south on irrigation ; works and roads an Central Otago, also j on the Orepuki and Lawrenorß oxburgb j rail ways. ’' LOCAL BODIES’ GBA.VTS. ! Mr Coates spoke appreciatively iff ! the way iu which local bodies have . fallen into line in connection with j the curtailment of grants. M e could not have people working! better with us."' declared the AJ mister. 1 “ They realise the position, and tlieir ! attitude is enabling us ti> carry i through. Tn connection with urgent j local grafts which we are authorising. ! our first preference is for oxpemlitr.fe ! on excavation work or anything which ! will usefully absorb labour. We on- J deavour to postpone the purchase ; of material. especially heavy iron- i work which has to be imported. Wo j want to save the money to employ labour, so that the important point in considering grants to local bodies is how much will lie spent on giving employment in New Zealand." POSITION ON WATERFRONT [Per Press Association ] WELLINGTON, June 13. Mr !.. Glover, president of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Federation, has returned to Wellington after having paid an official visit t.o several unions. Asked what was the. position in regard to employment on the! waterfront generally Mr Glover stated that during tho first week he was in Auckland there were between 500 and 600 men belonging to the local union out of work. Towards the end of last month things brightened up a little, lull the fact remained that there was still a big surplus of unemployed. .“We find that a similar" stale of things prevails generally among other waterside unions,” added Mr Glover, “ particularly in the larger towns. One of the reasons for this is that there is not now such .a, volume of shipping arriving at the ports as was the case lormerly, and again, on account, of works in the country closing down, men from country districts arc flocking to the cities and joining up with the Waterside Workers’ Unions.” With a view to checking the growth in the number of unemployed on the waterfront- and confining what employment there is available to the present members of the Watersiders’ Federation, it has been suggested that the various local Waterside Unions should refuse to accept any new* members. In reply to a question as to whether an/ representations had been made to tlm. Federation on this point, Mr Glover i replied that his organisation favoured i an *“ open door ” policy. As a matter ot fact the law provided that membership of unions should not be restricted, and for that reason it was impossible to erect a. barrier against the admission of any further members.