CONFLICTING VIEWS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 642, 21 December 1932, Page 13

CONFLICTING VIEWS

Position in Unemployment Commit lee. Mr R. J. Ecroyd’s position on the Christchurch Unemployment Relief Committee is still undecided. It was discussed last evening by the council of the United Burgesses’ Association, Mr A. Peverell presiding, when letters were read which allowed no definite conclusion to be reached. On December 1 the secretary of the council of the United Burgesses’ Association wrote to the secretary of the Christchurch Unemployment Relief Committee notifying the appointment of Mr S. W. Richardson to represent the council on the committee in place of Mr R. J. Ecroyd. The secretary of the Relief Committee (Mr L. W. Hitchens) said that, while the committee had no objection to Mr Richardson acting on the committee, the committee desired to point out that as it was now constituted a local unemployment committee under the Unemployment Act, it had no power to make an appointment and therefore could not accept Mr Richardson as a member of the committee. The Burgesses’ Council again wrote on December 12 to the Commissioner of Unemployment, asking that the Unem ployment Board sanction the appointment of Mr Richardson on the Christchurch Relief Committee. In reply Mr G. C. Godfrey. Unemployment Commissioner, stated that the Unemployment Board had no objection to Mr Richardson’s appointment; but he pointed out that the appointment of an additional or new member of the committee had primarily been a subject for the committee itself to deal with. He suggested that the council should first place the nomination before the committee for consideration. It was decided after short discussion to release the letters for publication.