WANGANUI UNEMPLOYED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 117, 20 May 1932, Page 6

WANGANUI UNEMPLOYED

f a OVER 1000 REGISTERED COMMITTEE MEMBERS' LAXITY. qI'EbTJOX OB I’ARM I,ABOlG« Preside*! over by Mr. A. L. Halligan a well attended meeting of the Wanganui Unemployment Committee was held yesterday afternoon. It was reported by the certifying officer, Air. E. W. F. Gohns, that since the last meeting of the committee, held a fortnight ago, the number of unemployed in Wanganui had increased from 965 to 1045. During the past week 18 men had been placed under lhe 4a scheme, one had been sent to the Public Works, four to the Parapara camps and 814 had been given employment. Air Gohns drew attention to the fact, that there were several members of the committee who had failed to attend the meetings for a considerable time. He therefore suggested that if members wore unable to attend they should tender their resignations and 4' should ask the body they represented T to appoint some other person in their places, so that the committee meetings might be fully attended and the best advice of the whole of the various sections of the community given. Referring to the “boot pool” Mr. Gohns said that it had not materialised, except for a small committee of tho Bible Class of the Young Men’s Christian Association, which had endeavoured to provide for the repairing of the boots of men who were employed on the Parapara camps. To that committee the thanks of the community were due. Air. Gohns strongly recommended that some further action should be taken by the committee with a view to having tho “boot pool” firmly established in Wanganui. Work on Private Properties. Two circulars were received from the Unemployment Board in Wellington with regard to the placing of unemployed men on private properties. Chose statements stated, inter alia, that an effort was being made by the Unemployment Board, working in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, with a view to bringing tinder the notice of farmers generally the advantage of additional labour for the eradication of noxious weeds ami for productive works under the 4a, 4b, “over the fence” and No. 5 schemes. With regard to the “over the fence” scheme it was stated that farmers were expected to pay something towards the cost of the work and, if possible, to arrange to retain the men for the remaining days of the week when they were not being given relief under tho scheme. Applications for labour wore to be reviewed bv the certifying officer, with a view to ensuring as far as possible that free labour was not granted in cases where the farmer was in a position to contribute towards the cost of the work. It was pointed out that while tho Unemployment Board did not insist that a contribution towards the cost of tho work should be made bv the farmer, and, in fact, did not now place any restriction upon the class of work done by relief labour, so long as flat labour was genuinely additional it was hoped that local bodies wore watching the position closely and wore requiring the farmer to supplement the wages refunded by the board with some contribution at his own expense, if he was in a position to do so. It was suggested that tho matter should be investigated. The board considers that tho farmers should not be provided with free labour at the expense of the Vnomploymont Fund unless they were definitolv unable to provide any cash contribution. Tho board did not wish to interfere but it did desire that farmers should bear some of the expense if they could afford it, even to the extent of paying a portion of the wages. It must not be forgotten that the unemployment schemes were for the benefit of tho, unemployed and nnf for the benefit of the farmers. Tf tho latter benefited it was incidental to the main object for which the Unemployment Fund was created. Tho matter of buying cheaper meat lor tho unemployed and acquiring beef for them was referred to the Alayor’s Central Relief Committee for consideration.