ALL RESIGN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 457, 19 May 1932, Page 9

ALL RESIGN.

ATTACK MADE ON BOARD. Unemployment Dispute. WELLINGTON COMMITTEE UP IN ARMS. Per Rress Association. WELLINGTON, May 19. At a hurriedly-called meeting of the Wellington Citizens’ Unemployment Relief Committee to-day, the chairman (Mr J. I. Goldsmith) tendered his resignation. The grounds for his action are contained in a lengthy statement in which Mr Goldsmith says:— “ The committee has never received from the Unemployment Board or the Minister a statement setting out specifically the nature of the committee’s powers or duties, the scope of its functions or the extent of its jurisdiction. The committee cannot expect to function properly unless it is given the right to assume responsibility for all the activities connected with un-. employment in Wellington. Among the particular causes of complaint, Mr Goldsmith dwells upon the matter of applications for exemption from going to unemployment camps. The whole was removed from the committee’s province and the committee had been completely impotent within the past fortnight. Mr Goldsmith says that the Unemployment Board directed the certifying officer to change the classification of each registered unemployed man in accordance with the revised scheme, but no communication on this most important and vital subject was sent to the committee, and they only learnt of the change after the work had been done. He was positive that if the committee had been given an opportunity to consider the proposed change it would have been possible for the committee to make representations to the Government with the object of securing a postponement of reclassification until such time as Mr Coates was ready to bring into effect his sustenance proposals. If this had been done, it was not stating the position too extravagantly to say that the whole of the present unfortunate trouble would have been avoided, and the reputation of Wellington would not have been so sadly injured. 11 ' Nothing to.be Gained.” “ There is nothing to be gained by carrying on the work of this committee, as it obvious that our sphere of usefulness is ended. I propose, therefore, to resign my position as chairman and member of the Wellington Citizens’ U nemployment Relief Committee, leaving to each of you to say whether he will do likewise. In my opinion the committee should call a general meeting and place their resignations in the hands of the Mayor.” Following Mr Goldsmith’s lead, ail the other members of the committee resigned.