MEN DESTITUTE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 221, 18 September 1936, Page 6

MEN DESTITUTE

STEWART ISLANDERS A PROTEST VOICED NO PROVISION FOR RELIEF {Per Press Association] INVERCARGILL, Sept. 16. I In a letter to the Southland Times, IMr Robert C. Hicks, of Half Moon Bay, Stewart Island, declares that the residents, 90 per cent, of whom depend on the fishing industry, are practically destitute. The majority have not earned one penny for the months of July, August, and September. through no fault of their own, as they have been dogged by adverse weather. There is no other industry at the island. A proposal for a public works scheme to absorb unemployed was put forward by the Stewart Island County Council, and the Minister promised a full investigation into the matter. The council was now advised that the local Public Works engineer had reported adversely on the proposal. Neither he nor any other Government, official had gone near Stewart Island '.to investigate. Yesterday a telegram was received from the Minister of | Labour stating that there would be ! neither relief work nor sustenance for I the fishermen at Stewart Island. [ "The position at present,” says Mr 1 Hicks, “is that the men (there are i about 50 registered unemployed) are j penniless. The storekeepers have carI ried them along so far, but they are • going to close down, and when they do there is going to be trouble, and the Government will be directly to blame. Something must be done, and done quickly. “The men have not asked for susi tenance. They would sooner work, but sustenance is infinitely better than starvation. The Stewart. Island County I Council wire.i weeks ago offering to (provide work for all the men if the Government would find the money. • Meanwhile the men have paid their levies and wages tax on all they have earned, and now’ comes the bald statei ment, no relief work and no sustenance for the fishermen." J The Stewart Island County Council has written to the Prime Minister netting out the position as outlined by Mr Hicks. The council says that | il is hard to understand why the Minister of Labour should advise that no help can be given to destitute people such as the fishermen are at the present moment. The letter says tliat the Ministers are failing to comply with their election promises when unemployed men in the Dominion are being refused work or sustenance. The letter concludes: “The council wishes to protest emphatically against the gross injustice of no reply to Stewart Island, compared with the extravagant nature of the relief supplied in other districts. The inclination of the residents is to leave the island for some of the more favoured districts, but. unfortunately, or fortunately, perhaps, they have not the means to shift.” STEWART ISLAND ROAD MINISTER’S STATIDIENT [ Per Prcas Association I WELLINGTON, Sept. IT. With regard to Stewart. Island urr employment, the Hon. R. Semple indictated to-day that he had informed the County Council on September 14 that, until he had sufficient information to enable him to decide on the full merits of the proposal to make a road from Half Moon Bay to i Mason’s Beach, he was not prepared to make financial provision for il. He pointed out that the position ot the fishermen could be cased if the council would expedite the submission ol plans and specifications of works, for which financial provision was already made on the estimates.