UNEMPLOYED.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 6 January 1928, Page 5

UNEMPLOYED.

WORK, NOT CHARITY. THEME OF/ LEADERS’ SPEECHES. (By Telegraph —Press Association.j CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday.' Work, not charity, was the theme of •speeches made byHcaders of a group of luieinploj'ccl, representing all branches of trade, that collected in Victoria Square this morning. J. Pearson, who took the chair, said there were men .among them who had not had food for three days. They did not want charity -—they wanted work. They represented nearly every branch of trade and not merely labourers, though there were .a large number of that class of worker -nmoiaut them. complained mainly of the rations which the Hospital Board -distributed. They were not y he said, and, what was more, the men .bad to work before they got the rations. Sometimes men were not fit to work after the privations they had suffered. At the conclusion of the meeting it was decided to visit the Mayor and put ‘the complaints before him. The meeting then formed itself into a deputation to see the Deputy-Mayor (Mr D. G. •Sullivan, M.P.). A procession numbering about fifty went round to the Council Chambers, and after, a wait of -over half an hour was informed that Mr Sullivan could not possibly get ■down to-day, but that he would meet the deputation at noon to-morrow. Lat•cjg in the day the men waited on the Hospital Board and 'the Benevolent •Committee decided to increase the alto all applicants for assistance.