UNEMPLOYMENT.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20170, 24 February 1931, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT.

MEETING OP LOCAL COMMITTEE. The reticence of the Minister ,for Labour in the matter ,of making public, through the committee, information'as to the extent to which unemployment is being coped with in Christchurch was referred to by Or. Sullivan;at,,yesterday's meeting of the r XTnemployment Committee. Cr. Sullivan desured information as to the number of perfons who. were eligible to be employed and who had not been given work. Mr Bailey -said that in accordance, with "his instructions he could give the 1 information only in committee. , In committee,' Mr Bailey gave - 'the desired information. On the chairman said that he would report, for publication, that practically all the men who,had registered were ndw receiving their .quota of work, Only about per those registered and eligible not having' been placed. . • Cr. Sullivan'thought that they should take up with the Minister the question of the desirability of taking the public more lxito his confidence on such matters. The information given would reassure the public that the position was being coped with. Ultimately, he moved:-

"That .the Minister be asked to allow the" committee discretionary power in regard to the inception / of figures in open Mr Eames seconded the motion. Mr Leadley thought that the motion was on right lines! If the information asked for could-have been given to the ! public it wpuld have enlightened them '• regarding the work being done by the 1 committee. i Mr Belton suggested that if the Christchurch figures were given separt ately from thpse for the whole DominI ion, and it was seen that" the ChristI church committee was; doing. exception-; ally well, there- might be a drift of i unemployed from districts outside Canterbury. . ■ t Mr Leadley said he hardly thought it i would do so. There was a possibility i that the 'success of the "Christchurch ! committee might be an inspiration to committees in other parts of' the Dominion who had not yet been able to I place the whole of their eligible unem- [ ployed. Mr Climie supported Mr - Belton's view. The success of the Christchurch, committee would have a psychological effect on the unemployed in other centres. - Cr. Sullivan, in submitting the motion, said that the committee would have control of the publication of the figures, and could withhold publication if it was going to be' detrimentaL The motion - was agreed to. No. %' Scheme. The XTnemployment Commissioner wrote, in reply to the committee's application for a grant of £SOO-in connexion with No. 2 Schemo, ,tliat £250 hadr been allocated, bringing the total to the committee to date, t.o £2650. "The Commissioner set, out that it was'not possible for the Board to provide continuous work under. Scheme No. 2, consequently, the committee should so ration the work available under the Bchemef as to. ensiire that aB many-as possible participated. ,Mr Leadley said that when application came 1 before the Board, it

' mentioned- that ha* lwa.tf?-, seated the previous week, and that It was "coming it a 1 bit hot.'* 1 (Langhtofc) The, tt No. 2 Scheme was to end x the end of this-month, but ap long as A the allocations were made before {then, f the subsidy would be paid.. lit view of t the fact tha| Schemes Nor. V £4,;wid J '5 were in operAtioii, the'BoJfra eonsia* -® ered that they should provide ,work;for 5 the unemployed in town and tsonntry* t , Respecting Scheme N0.;.4A, which cajrie into operation * yefctoraayi -Mir I Bailey said that fca had sent two meri.to ,f work under that scheme. _ « Mr Bailey reported as/followr* ;i ing the operations under Scheme No. & 1 to date: — { Amount authorised >-j Applications .pending Estimated amount in re- * , spect <oi applications ' } \ , ' pending ..** *£« * 0 ■■ Number of men assisted -.487' Amount authorised and £ V-- " fj ; amount \pending It was_ decided to make' application j for a grsnt 1 0f£250, " _ ' Mr Leadley suggested that in making the application the .committee - shoijla mention that it had a niimber of applications pending land that 'the scheme . had been * successful., , ' Summit Road Track. \ - Mr Harper reported the result of the interview - ,the aub-eomnfittee.- (Mew", Olimie. Bailey, Scarff,' and himself),, had witiiMr "Wi'otewart Crown Lands) regarding Mr H. G. iiUa. , application fot assistance, imawo-ttw No; 5 Scheme, to construct a walking ; "track tp connect up the present ' ter-. minus of the Summit with, the xoad to. Akaroa. Mr Stewart , had paid that the land on which tfae track" was to, be' J constructed must •ms® . be acquired and - become .Crown; j before work' Oolild be done on «| , otherwise they might have to mpet ( claims for. compensation. , i • Mr Climie said, -that both, the , committee and the Commissioner of Of own Lands were sympathetic, towards *ne - proposal. The committee had been - charged with lack" of sympathy, , but } ( of course it could ignore such a charge,, Eeearding the surveyed road in tne locality, Mr Scarff said that it went ( through very bad country. , , ■ ' - Cr. Beanlard moved that the matter . be kept onen with the view of seeing, if anything further could be done to . expedite it. Mr Scarff ~ seconded. The chairman said that if i ( trot a signed easement from the ownerof the land the work could g0.0n.-Tae matter was largely in, Mr Ell?a hands. „ The motion was agreed to. , .. At a later stage Mr Ell attended and . produced a map showing that the track would be ■ constructed ■ over only , 73 . c 7ißin« of private property. Mr Ell said that the owner,' Mr Anderson, was - sympathetic, and he could get from him written authority to -make the, track through his land. The-work, ploy six men, and: they would : have . free accommodation at the Kaituna Best House. - ~ __ The chairman said that if Mr Ell produced Mr Anderson's written consent . there would be na;difficnlty in granting the assistance under the No. 5 Scheme.. . Tin™ Lost Through Wet Weather. Mr Leadley said jthat .the TJnemployi ment Board had' in respect* -of . . making up time lost through wet weather, that if'.local bodies can . arrange it,.the Board is-quite-; agreeable for time lost th'jougk wet;weather ■ .to.be made/up within a' fortnight. 1 . • ' Work; for- YottMja. ■ - Beplying to, Cr. Sullivan, Mr Leadley i said that the problem of boy labowr was *"( " k-i ilvj 1

T tion to.coutiibnte towards thadtafc. J» ft effective ; dtainagft, scheme . matter was referred to-tkff.lf»- '' employment Bo&rd. jr '* Mr- (Same reported oa tie s i by him and Messrs. BaOey ? to a number ofcounty, conacito that committees had., been | each centre. -Next BafaMiy-tlwyfjffi $ tended ■waiting on the Alcaroa ', Council'at Duvauchelle., ■v'jihja S ' 'Appreciation- .was, dipressed oryfflw, j x 'Organising- wntk;,bßißg done. , 1 'Vt I : : Mr- 3tagia»ess»said, that 'BapartW; County w&r-employing 75l the iW-Mpheme. OnejW^^k&\ from Bamford street, "WooMon, for,, two days' work; Some unemployed i» the comity bad *Qt bean allocated work and he saggostod that, 'some .sf&emft . should, be evolved to obviate mM travelline long, distances. The connty had, 25 - men working at Pr'ebblcton, and hfl waa told that since those men sfarted aronr' theri> had been 30 registrations • at Prebbleton. > . \, f - "v?-sjs k Mr Bailey .said that infractions had. been' issued to ro-arrango tho alloear tion of men, luxil to arraußß for rrßHß,ferß from Prebbleton >He found ,that tjw, mw were wiffingr.to/g<» whore.,to; ; ,T?OTfe? and sited the case of a man at N&w Brighton with a.wife and eighty , wto had eagerly accepted tMu^ffo^oC !