THE UNEMPLOYED.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2554, 15 July 1909, Page 5

THE UNEMPLOYED.

ACTION BY GISBORNE BOROUGH

COUNCIL

At last night’s meeting of the Borough Council Cr. Kirk moved: "That with a view of relieving and providing against any possible distress amongst the unemployed, either at present or at a future date, the Council adopt the method just inaugurated at Napier, and that the representatives ot this Council be His Worship the Mayor and Crs. Darton, Somervell, Maynard and Smith.” Cr Pettie thought the committee should be. able to raise funds should the need arise. It was a good tiling to let the public know that they were aware of the need. Or. Clayton said he was not quite sure what was meant by the resolution. If they constituted themselves a citizens’ committee, did they intend to find employment for men? They had no data regarding the number of unemployed in the town, and he would ask if they were setting up a bogey of the unemployed, when such a problem did not exist. Unless they were willing to establish relief works they were not likely to be able to find employment for any men who might register their names with such a committee. In case of any clashing with the present Labor Bureau, he thought tnat they sjrauld endeavor to get reliable information from the officer in charge of the Government office which was endeavoring to cope with the question. By forming themselves into a committee they were not finding work ior men who needed relief. Cr. Harris supported the resolution. The Government, he said, were only giving relief to married men, and a single man had no hope. There were undoubtedly a number of unemployed, but lie would not like to say there was much distress, although ho felt that the labor position would be much more acute a month hence than it was today.

Or. Smith said that he had not seen as much unemployment amongst the laboring class as amongst the tradesmen’s class. He thought it would he an excellent thing to have such a committee set up, and there would be no suggestion or probability of clashing with the Labor Bureau. Or. Collins congratulated Cr. Kirk •on -the spirit of the resolution he had brought up. Ho would ask Councillors to remember, however, that they must have limitations. I’ho question would arise, why should the Borough Council take upon themselves the responsibility of setting up such a committee when there are other public bodies who ought to share the responsibility with them? There was no doubt that there was a lot of distress in the town, and the unemployed question was assuming grave dimensions all over the Dominion. He favored the appointment of delegates from the different public bodies. If they found work for the unemployed they had to consider tho question of insurance, and he felt that they were not justified in taking the responsibility on their own shoulders, but it should be done in unison with other bodies. Alter their recent debate, it did not redound to the credit of the Trades and Lalior Council that they had not approached th ’ Council on the matter. .1 he discussion that was then taking place was not. because of any representations from the Trades and Labor Council, but solely on account of-it having been brought up by a member of tho Council. Jt was clearly til'd duty of the public bodies to proviclo work for the unemployed. not by moans of public subscription. but by reproductive works ol benefit to the ratepayers. The cause of the unemployment in the country was tho fact that tho, lands wore locked up, and that they had a majority of the population with a very limited land supply. They .could not supply men with legitimate, public work, and the work that might bo given to them would lie superfluous and bordering on future legitimate work. He would like to reneat that he thought the question ought to he scattered over tho other local bodies. Cr. Kirk said that the committee would be treated by any insurance, company as the employer. His motion did not in any way place any responsibility on the Council, and lie was sure that the Government Labor Office would only he too pleased to recoil e any assistance towards the question of the relief of unemployment, either now or in the immediate future. The Council would not he hound to a single penny, but a.s leaders of tho people ho thought, that it was only right that they should take a- lead in this question, and if thev wanted to make, any stand at all in the matter of supplying work for men when it was wanted, they should set up the committee, which action had been approved in Napier. The. motion on boingjmt to the meeting was carried unanimously. THE NAPIER CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE. (Per Press Association ) NAPIER, July 14. Over fifty men have registered their names with tho Citizens’ Committee as unemployed, hut of these eight were to-day provided with work, and it is hoped to assist some of the others in a similar way with the co-operation of the public. BELIEF WORKS STARTED IN WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON. July 14. A deputation waited on the finance committee of the Harbor Board \esteiday. urging that pending works bo pushed on as speedily ax possible. The deputation met with a sympathetic reception. It being pointed out at a meeting of the Hospital Trustees yesterday that the work at Victoria College will improve the property owned by the Trustees, authority' was _given for a subsidy, not exceeding £-5 to be paid. The'Wellington Presbytery passed resolutions recommending that collections for the unemployed be taken up in the congregations. Some statements made at a recent citizens’ meeting were ci itieisod hv members of the Presbytery, who combatted the argument that the standard wages should he paid for relief work, it being feared that this would load to others out of employment rushing tc W oliington. the Re\. J. K. EHiottTthmight that os a day would be ■ a Mail' tiling- under tho present eoiK.itionx Fifteen more men were nut on t° work at the Victoria College grounds to-dav, making forty altogether. Work is being provided ui the vicinity for another dozen. There are now over lour hundred names of unemployed on the list kept by the secretary of the relief committee. ... , \t a meeting of tho f itizcns UnomnViyed Belief ‘Committee to-night, too Mavor said that £715 had come in to date, making with the Government sub-

ftidy £1434. About £llO had to be paid to the men now given work. There were something like 400 names on the unemployed list, and the sum in hand would not go very far. If other work than that at Victoria College was found, more people would subscribe. It was resolved that any money handed over for tree planting should be earmarked for that purpose. It was decided to put men on road construction from Constable Street to the signal station on Mount Victoria. Any further sum in hand is to be used in making a recreation ground at Kilbirnie. About 30 men will be started at Constable Street on Monday.

THE SITUATION IN CHRISTCHURCH.

CHRISTCHURCH, July 14

A strong deputation of unemployed waited on Mr: Hart, chairman of the Trades and Labor Council, complaining that the Council was not doing enough to find men work, and making threats of taking steps on their own account. Speaking to a reporter in regard to the deputation Mr. Hart said there was no actual indication given of the manner in which the men intended to “shake things up.” One man said he liad to leave las lodging and did not know whe-Te ho was going to sleep. Another said he meant to have food, and if any one found anything missing he would still have it. One young man stated he did not intend to commit suicide without someone else having to suffer too, and others had talked in a vague manner about their grievances. Mr. Hart added that he had little doubt something was going to be done, but as to the form the demonstration would take he had no idea. The men would probably parade the streets, but he did not think they would go counter to the cooler men, and jeopardise the chances of earning some money by estranging public sympathy in any foolish action. It was certain there was a great deal of distress, and he was in sympathy with the desire of the men to obtain employment. In many cases men were in tight corners, but still the Trades Council was doing all it could to help them. Mr. H. Hagger states that the number of callers at the Labor Bureau has decreased appreciably in the last few days. A list was posted outside the City Council offices yesterday giving the names of forty men for whom work was available. Six of the men commenced work yesterday afternoon, and five more to-day, so that only 11 of the 40 men have put in an appearence. Mr. A. D. Dobson, the City Surveyor, informed a reporter this morning; that the number of applications that ho is at present receiving for work is no greater than usual. Tho City Council is always looked upon to provide work when > nothing else is offering,, and consequently lie is continually receiving applications for employment from carpenters, laborers, and others who are faced with temporary lack of work. At the Trades Hall. Mr. Darcy reports that to-doy there have been about the usual nnumbor of callers. Ho states that many of the men are becoming tired of calling and receiving the same ropi.v to their inquiries for work. Consequently there -uv not so many calling and asking for work. Those that called inquire more particularly as to what steps are proposed to he taken to find work for the unemployed. The secretary of the Trailed Council’s Unemployed Committee. Mr. R. .J. Eokroyd, has communicated with the city and suburban members of Parliament, and asked them to meet the unemployed and discuss with them the question of the right to work, and ol introducing a Right to Work Bill next session. UNEMPLOYMENT IN OAMARU. OAMARU, July 14. At present there arc about twenty men registered as out of employment on tho books of the Government Labor Bureau here, hut happily there does not appear to he any case of actual distress. The “Mail” suggests that Steward’s settlement irrigation work, tile survey of which has been completed, he vigorously proceeded with by tno Public Works Department, so that local employment could bo found lor those out of work. VIEWS OF TRADES UNIONISTS. That the acute state of the labor market has not changed for the better is evident- from what some of the union secretaries told a New Zealand “Herald” reporter last week. Mr Long, secretary of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ Union, said there wore -52 names on the employment book the week before as being out of work, .and the number had not lessened. Ten men had come in from Ohinemuri, and the position was becoming more acute, owing to the fact that 28 hotels had been closed iu Ohinemuri, Eden, Auckland, Parnell and Manukau. Brewery work, too, had never been so slack as it was at present, one of the leading breweries having turned off eight hands on Friday. Mr Long declined to express an opinion on Mr Millar’s insurance scheme, as he had not considered it sufficiently. Mr Ban field, secretary of the Carpenters and Joiners’ Union, gave a similarly discouraging account of the present condition "of the labor market. If you simply say that the trade is in a deplorable state, you have summed it up in a nutshell,” he told the reporter. During the last eight months, lie said, the" union had paid away more unemployed benefits than in the previous eight years. During the past day or two there had been a few more tenders in, but there were a great many men to do the work. In reference to Mr Millar's scheme of insurance against unemployment, Mr Ban field, asked where was the worker to get the 6d from? He had to pay away sufficient money at present. The idea was right enough, and Mr Millar meant welCbut- the real solution of the problem was to open up the land. Mr A. Rosser spoke favorably of the idea of providing by insurance against unemployment. If it could be worked in Germany on the lower wages received. Mr Rosser did not see why it could not be worked in New Zealand. There was this to be said, however, that in Germany the people were not so much on the move’ as they were here, and that would have to be taken into account. ••The scheme is a very good one." he. said, “as to principle, and Parliament will have to make out- the details. There ought to be something done, because the distress is very acute just now.” , , 1 Speaking of the distress, ana the number of men out of work, Mr Rosser said that a- mail came to him who had a wife and child, stating that he had sold bis home little by little, and now had a back room in the slums. H“ bad been out of work since April, and had got none yet. That was only fine of many cases tint came under his notice. “The Government is to blame,” said Mr Rosser, “for the immigration scheme they have been pursuing for the last couple of years.”’