SICKENED BY ATTITUDE OF UNEMPLOYED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18088, 23 February 1927, Page 9

SICKENED BY ATTITUDE OF UNEMPLOYED.

LEADER OF THE MEN CANNOT GET SOME TO TAKE WORK OFFERING. “WHAT’S WRONG WITH COMMISSION OF 28 P.C.” Some of the unemployed who gathered at Victoria Square this morning wanted work, and wanted it badly: some obviously didn’t want it at any price, and Mr E. L. Hills, the leader of the men, declared that the attitude of the slackers sick. “ Now j’ou men know’ that the first thing that I like to deal with in the morning is work,” Mr Hills declared. “ I want tw’o labourers—there is two weeks’ work for them at £4 6s a week. Now, where arc they. Come on, men.” Four husky looking fellows stepped out of the ranks, Mr Hills descended from his box on the grass to confer with them, and ffnt two of them away to the work. No Cook. “ Now I want a cook-bakcr for a threshing mill—twelve weeks’ work at £5 a week. Is there a cook-baker amongst you? He must have experience. You would be useless without experience.” It was obvious that there was no cook-baker in that gathering seeking employment, and Mr Hills called for a mail to assist a survey party in the Kaikoura district, the applicants to be under the age of thirty years. Three men elbow’ed their way through the crow’d, and approaching their leader asked for particulars, and Mr Hills, after having explained the conditions of employment as far as he knew them, sent one away. . Good Commission. “ Here, now, you men,” he said, “ I want nine men as canvassers. They will work on commission, and no deposit is required. I might say that the firm requiring these men wanted a deposit of £2 two or three days ago, but now arrangements have been made whereby no deposit is needed. These canvassers can make 15s and 16s a day quite easy. It’s a good selling line, and you get 28- per cent commission. “ If any of yoyi want to make a few boh, here’s your' chance until you can get something better. Now, what about it, men ? Come on! If you don’t want the work, well, stay where you are. If you want it, come forw’ard.”

Three men only stepped forward, and they were sent away to their prospective employer, while Mr Hills continued his efforts to impress on those that remained that six positions were open to any amongst them if they honestly wanted to work. But he could not get them to budge. Employment for Thirty. “ Very well, then,” he said resignedly. “ Next week thirt}* men arc getting work from the Public Works Department at Menzie’s Bay. Two men will be leaving on Friday as an advance party, to make the necessary arrangements for those who will follow. Thirty good labourers will be required. Remember the Public Works Department does not want weaklings, because weaklings can't make a good day’s pay. Good, strong men can, though. "I.am given to understand that the conditions are very good. You have to take your blankets, men, your cooking gear, stout hearts, and strong arms —that’s all. "W© Want Work.” “ Y es, the position is steadily impro\ing. Wg want to keep on going as we are, and I hope in a few weeks to be able to disband these meetings altogether. We don’t want them. What we want is work, yes work! Now, what about those canvassing jobs.- Do you want them? You get 28 per cent, commission. “What’s wrong with that? Will you take these jobs till you can get something better. lou fellows who are in dire distress, do you want them?” No one answered, and no man stepped from the rapks. “Well, if the married men don't want the work, what about the single fellows? ’ asked Mr Hills. He waited, but stiil there was no answer. “Makes Me Sick.” It makes one sick to get no response,” he said disgustedly. “There is one drawback, I know, about this work. There is no steady day’s wage behind it. It depends on ability. The trouble is that we don’t think that we’ve got the ability. It’s not that really, though; it’s the heart we haven’t got. Very well, then.” Once again he gave up his efforts to draw canvassers from the men. “Things are improving, as I’ve said,” Mr Hills declared, “but there will have to be a lot of improvement yet We’ve got to have suggestions from you fellows. Can you make any ? I told you yesterday to go home and have a good think. JHave you done it? You’ve got to co-operate with us. Is there any question vou cl like to ask about these canvassing jobs that I can’t get men to take?” None, was seeking enlightenment in connection with the evidently unpopular canvassing positions offering, but one man wanted to know why Mr Hills had not been allowed to take part in the discussion at yesterday’s unemployment conference. “Touch and Go.” “It was touch and go whether I would be allowed at that meeting at all, although I was invited,” Mr Ilills explained. “When I knew that that conference was going to take place, I approached the Mayor and asked him if it would be possible for me to attend, and he said that 1 should come aiong at four o’clock on the day of the meeting, and he would put it to the conference, and they might allow me in, but I would not be allowed to take any part in the discussion unless one of those present asked for my opinion on any given subject. I went along to the meeting,” Mr Hills said, “ and waited outside the Press reporters, and was invited in with the Press after waiting ten minutes.

“I was allowed in on the casting vote. I want to say that I understand that there will be no difficulty in my being admitted to any further conferences where I can be of any use or express any useful opinion. The whole trouble is this. Now. I don’t want to go on condemning your previous leaders, but I am compelled to do it now. Objectionable Leaders. “Your previous leaders made 1 hemselves objectionable. They could not conduct themselves in a proper manner. Because of that some of those present at the conference were dubious about my being admitted. They knew what the other leaders were, and they thought I might, be like them. I conducted myself in a proper manner. I gave no trouble, and I was not objectionable. 1 don’t think that there will be any

hesitation in admitting me to further conferences. “The Dole.” Someone asked a question which gave rise to an outburst from Mr Hills on the subject of the dole. “That idea that the unemployed want the dole has got to be dispelled.” be said. “There was a certain section cf the unemployed that stood out for nothing but tlie dole. They .didn't want work. They wanted the dole The dole spells ruination to any country. It is spelling ruination to England. \Vc are not going to have the dole here. We want work. We don't want the dole. If we can’t get work, we've got to liv# —but not by the dole.” Someone rode up on a bicycle and handed Mr Ilills a note. “ I want two canvassers for a disinfectant.’’ he said. Trading from the note. “ I don’t want to waste time. Do you want these jobs? I don’t suppose so. You wouldn’t take on the other canvassing work, and if you wouldn’t come forward for that, I have no doubt that you won't come forward for this. Do you know what that means? It means that eight men who could have obtained work this morning have not obtained it. Have you any suggestions?” Climbing Hills. Puffing and blowing, the man who had left a quarter of an hour before in the hope of securing the position as assistant to a survey party now arrived back and told the leader that a man with a little experience was required, and that he had had no experience in that line. lie must be used to hill work.” said Mr Hills when the disappointed man out of work imparted this intelli gence. “Is there anyone here willing to take it on? Come on—someone who has done a bit of hill-climbing.” One big fellow stepped forward, and. having secured particulars from Mr Hills, hastened away. *' Trying to obtain suggestion© from you people is worse than drawing teeth from a horse—it is harder by far,” Mr Hills declared. One man thought that Mr R. B Owen should be asked not to publish any further letters in the Press with regard to work offering at Lyttelton on the water-front. “ Not Criticism.” “I don't hold with that suggestion." Mr Hills said. “Mr Owen thought h: was doing a good thing for the unemployed. I think that he is more to be commended than criticised 1 don't know the feeling of you men, Ivut that is my personal opinion, and I am oi. titled to it. He was actuated by the best of motives. “ I will put it to the meeting. Those in ./ avour , cr *ticising Mr Owen I don t mean that,’’ interrupted the man who had made the suggestion. “ \\ ell. that is what it means to me.” said Mr Hill. “ I will withdraw it," said the other Mr Hills said that work could be found by the City Council for hundreds of men if it only had the money with w'hich to pay them, and one man in the gathering said that it was the Govern ment s place to find the neeessarv finance.

“ Well, the Government is going to do more than it has been doing,” Mr Hills replied. “ I feel confident about that. It is now giving serious consideration to the position of unemplovment." It was decided to ask the City Council to issue instructions to have over hanging hedges on the streets cut with a view to finding employment for some of the men. ▲ Carnival Mr Hills said that a suggestion had been made that the English Park Stadium Company, or some body, should be approached with a view to holding a carnival for the unemployed, not for the purpose of giving charity, but for the purpose of raising monev with which necessary works might be undertaken and work found for the men. lie put the suggestion to the meeting as a motion, but it was evident that not all voted, although none signified his dissent. “ Look here 1 ” said Mr Hills. “ I am satisfied that some of vou fellows did not signify your feelings one wav or the other. What is wrong?” But there was no answer, and. after urging the men to attend the Government labour bureau regularly if the" w'ere not out and about seeking work on their own behalf, he called on Mr C. Hutchison to close the meeting. POSITION DISCUSSED BY HOSPITAL BOARD. Resolutions of the Trades Hall Unemployment Committee were received by the North Canterbury Hospital Board to-day. The resolutions urged that immigration be suspended and that the Government be asked to put into operation public works so as to absorb the unemployed. Mr IV. E. Leadley moved in regard to the first resolution that no action be taken, as the Government had alreadv intimated that immigration would be suspended from March 1. “Could not we commend the action of the Government in doing $o?” asked the Rev C. Carr. Tlie chairman (Mr II J. Otley) : That is not necessary. Mr Carr (jocularly): You are a supporter of the Government, Mr Chairman, and I am an opponent, but when they do something right I like to commend them. Mr Leadley’s motion might be misunderstood, said the. Rev J. K. Archer The public might think that the board was not in favour of the suspension of immigration. He moved that the letter be received. Mr Archer’s motion was carried. It was decided to support the second recommendation of the Trades Hall Unemployment Committee.