BORROW OR TAX?

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 552, 6 July 1909, Page 5

BORROW OR TAX?

WORK FOR WORKLESS.

FINANCIAL ASPECT OF THE POSITION.

STATEMENT BY MR. MILLAR.

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING.

Tio position with regard to tho unem ployed'difficulty was placed before the Min ister for Labour (the Hon. J. A. Millar) b; a largo and representative deputation yester day. Among the membors of the doputatio] were: The : Mayor (Dr. ; Newman), and , i 'number of the City Councillors, Messrs Wisher, Luke) Wright, M'Lsren, and New man, M.P.'s, Mr. It. C. Kirk (chairman c the Charitable Aid Board), Mr. Grenfell (o behalf of the Employers' Association), Mi Noot (President of the Trades and Labou Council), and representatives of local bodiei The Minister's reply was, in several respect remarkable. Whilst fully recognising th: there was a great deal of distress, he on phasisod the point that the Government resources were only too small. Accordm to Mr. if public works exponditui were to be maintained at tho present rat there would bo no option but for Parlia ment' eithor to borrow more money, or increase tho taxation. ~-: , ' .. .'".. REMARKS BY MR. FISHER. ! /Mr: Fisher, M.P., ; in introducing' the' deputation, said its' object was; to seo if it was not possible for the Government to promote work to alleviate the present distress. It was desired, if possible, to stop the exodus of people, from the Dominion. It waß decided, at a public meeting: recently, to raise subscriptions,: upon which it was; hoped to get a Government'subsidy of, 245. in the £. • If £1000 wore : raised _ by .subscription, it would mean, withthe 'addition of the. Bubsidy, a: fund of £2200. : As. there were at least • fifteen hundred but • of : work,' that amount would be utterly inadequate to meet the position. Would itnot bo better .to dispense with l the ;of the proposed, fund? ho'asked. That could be done if the Government would at once put in hand some works which would have to bo 'undertaken sooner or later.; Even if that were done out ' :of unauthorised expenditure, the cityjmom- ; hers would support the .Government in .tho '. House in-regard,'to any action which it < might tako in'thevmatter. He did not remember a time since 1890,. when the strike ' was on, when such a large nnmber of men • were out of work; TJnderneath the surface. ■ things |.were in ■ ah almost pitiable ;state; :..-,. : ;. i : THE POSITION CETTINC WORSEV [■ Dr. Newman declared that- despite'; what, , had been done by the' City Council and other i .local authorities:.tho. position' was getting. ) worso and worse. •■ Numbers of" workloss ■'. married men were finding that' their savings had becomb reduced to vanishing point, and '. it was hot,unknown for.single men to sleep "■■ but.! of'.V doors ,at 'nights.,; ; Occasionally.:. there : [ .were some, wasters, among the; unemployed,: I but it could not be'disßuted that there wore . at tho present time a great many, people who . were genuinely out of work. If the next three: b months could;bo tided over it would be! a r good thing, for.he felt sure therewould be, • plenty of work, again. jn> the spring., ...The distress - was, ; he.;adck>d,!very 'real and very '■■' widespread.", v y ;."/■ ;,; ' >":, "A REIGN Op RETRENCHMENT.'' I . Mr. Wright, M.P., that there could j Ibe no doubt a r ia.rgo number of people had no d work.. Every day there .came to uim .num.. n 'bers of men who wore quite willing'and ready: f to tako suitable'employment:' He was aware '■■ that the Government was offering bushfelling.t •• but,- it was well-known'; that, everybody could ','-. hot; undertake 1 that.kjn'd of.Vo'rk.' Through-' j| out the "city for' some' time past" there, had £ been what' he .-might', term a. reign'? of,'; rc'-'f |. : trenchmont. Every business houso seemed to it L bo dispensing with a! number of Jiaiuls, and 1- ; tlio inevitable -result was tTiatthd';. labour *■ '■ market was.;over-stockqd.. r■ Fifteen: hundred V', [was an thq number of Uu- ' \ ..employed'.in' the';'city:; there ;wero,_ at. least. j. 2000 worMess' hero.' The; present crisis would r . justify tho, Government, in doing anything is within reason to alleviate tho distress. •; ■} •'.■■••_.

V Mr. Kirk; 'chairman of the Charitable Aid Board, said he'; could endorse what the. Mayor liad said. .Ho did not want to see, the, people assisted -by .means of. 9haritablo; aid. V'.Thero. were-signs' that the administration: v.of aid must increase'.." It wasi; pleasing to seo. ! the spirit of independence that: was being shown ;by numbers' of tho workless. They, wanted work, not charitable relief. ■'' .-.;.. ■■",■ V''.LOp.KINC FOR WORK./ ' :'; . : Mr. Stobart, of the Carpenters', and, Joiners',, Union, toH the Minister that sixty men had called at his office that morn-, ing looking. for i work. . If; the: new; Government Houso wore pushed on it would bo;: a very good thing*. - They: did not want work that .would rob. any other, trado.v Many of tho men. in his union had been'out >of-work for three or four months., Some of J them had six dependents; one hadten children. Num.bbrs who had been thrifty and.entered into 'contracts to buy a'house.property for tn'on>» solves now found that.they could-not pay the Jnterest duo. ; If some; of the public works which were under way were pushed on it I would give work for.most of the':men, v ',.' ,-;,,; V; "■:: : x i;; ' .Mr. D./ M'Laren, M.P.,. thought/it. would be infinitely better if tho establishment of relief works could be avoided, if'it bec'amo known that work was being found for tho unemployed, numbers would,.flock in from the country districts. His office had from, early morning been full; of-; people".' who desired work. Numbers of strangers had como to town,from AVanganiii,Palmerston North, and elsowhore in tho hope, of getting employment on rcliof works, it was futile to imagine that a sufficient amount could be raised by'voluntary subscription to supply"'sufficient employment for tho workless.U If the distress were alleviated by anything in- the form of oharity it would tend.to drag the men down,; and place them in'tho position of being unemployable. The country as : a whole would back up the .-Government if it took drastio action:'in'-.the 'matter! As the problem was a national one, he should like to see some co-operation between the Govern' mont and the local, bodies. The line that should bo taken; was similar to that ■ suggested in tho Bill submitted to. tho' House of Commons by the Labour /party—viz., that of having local committees, with 'a' central committee of control. He thought it was unwise-to make a rule that only married men Bhould be sent to Government, works. Nowadays, if a man went to the Labour Department, he would find that some olhor Department -had' control of the engagement of the men required for a work that was being provided. It was; an occasion when the /Government should take extraordinary measures; the whole country 1 felt:;that tho position should be met.' There were at the present time hundreds of clerks and warehousemen out, of work. Could not something bo dono for them?. lii'conclusion, Mr. M'Laren protested against further immigration of so-called agricultural labourers. ;

THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT. Mr. Matson Riiid it was made to appear in tho press that work-could be procured at tho Labour Department by .those in ' .great need at onco,'As a matter of fact, no.further instructions to put on meii had beon received by the Labour Department since tho beginning of last week. It was true, that ono or two. small gangs had been sent away at the end of last week, but thoa'rrangomohts had. been made some dayS bofore.; Upon inquiry ho had ascertained that thoro were' iio.. instructions. at, the office that day, and it was probabld\ there would bo nono boforo noxt Thursday! No doubt part of tho delay was duo to the unsatisfactory .wcathor. The Department knew nothing about tho stumping that had been mentioned in the papers. Ho thought the most important thing to bo considered was what could be done its tho meantime; ' ■ i : LACK OF PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS, 'Mr. Newman, M.P. for Manawatu, said ho was present to extend, his sympathy. Ho folt that there was a lack of really pracUoal «£&ejstian» to U» position. Thaj

were not going.to find a remedy for tho difn-i culty in obority. His idea of a euro wu to < put the people on the land. With all duo . respect, be would submit to tie Minister ' that some blocks fairly easy of access should bo opened for selection. It would bo a good j thing if tho Government got the men to assist in tho surveying and to do tho roading. 'Ho would not r suggest on that occasion that the Government should give them tho frochold. "If tho Government , ' would give them o tenancy wo would give ' them tho freehold at a later date," lie added, amid laughter. j , DUTY OF PARLIAMENT. I Mr. Noot, president of tho Trades and, i Labour Council, held that it was tho duty of I Parliament at its noxt sitting to legislate to j piovent a recurrence of tho distress. They j wore there that dav to urgo immediate action ' j in the direction of relief. Tho Trades Council j would sink any httlo objection it might hawo ( to the term "charity," and assist to provide 1 tho wherewithal for those in necessitous j circumstances. Parliament should decide how ,j unemployment could be done away with.' Whilst thoy wore endeavouring to raise funds j Ito help to' relievo tho distress, tho Govern- • ,j ment ought to put as many works in hand ■> as was possible The proposed alterations to ! the Legislative Council Chambers would g{iv« j immediate work to a large number of brick-' 1 ' 'j layers, carpenters; and painters.. Not only ' were tho workers out of employment, their j wives and children' were in need. i . Mr. Ballingcr mentioned that in the plumbing trade more men woro being paid than at v • this time last year. It waa a fact also that \ moro, wages were paid in his line during tho, i year ended Juno 30 than during tho preceding , j year. , THE MINISTER IN REPLY. j "FACE TO FACE WITH A SHARP j PROBLEM." , . , The Hon. J. A. Millar said he was tony , ] to have to moot tho deputation under tho unfortunate ciictirustances all know to ' gx« j ist. 'They were, ho continued, face to faco ' , ; whin a sharp problem. He could say that j tho Government was anxious to go as far ,1 as possible with respect to tho matter. But \ under tho most favourable circumstances it ' ' could not spend more than £600,000 until t • ; Parliament mot, becauso Parliament" 'had' ■ j only given its appropriations until October ■ | 14 at tho rat© of £2,400,000 per annum. • As Minister for Labour ho was anxious to j do all he could, but as Treasurer ho had to j see that expenditure was not oxocssivo. \ Last joar tho Public Works Fund got ' ! £800.000 surplus moneys from the Oonsoli- j dated Fund: this year it would get very' 1 liitle if any assistance from that source. Tho j .Department commenced tho year with £400,-' J 000, and Parliament had appro cd of a loan I of one and a quaitor millions. Of that j amount £250,000 would go towards tho ebbt ] of tho construction of roiling stock, etc. That ■■ j meant that there would be a total of £1,- . 400,000 for public works for the twelve months ending March 31 next. As work»\ were being proceeded with on tho basis of a ' ■ , , total expenditure of £2,400,000, and thero were only ways'and meant for £1,400,000, ■ it was impossible to go on at the present ' rate. Tho Audit Department uould not pass any expenditure unless it' were authorised ' or camo under tho £100,000 for unauthorised ■ ; expenditure. From personal knowledge ho ' know that the.South Island was not suffer- ' . ing at the present timo to the same extent , as tho North Island. Tho bulk'of the un- , employment seemed to bo concentrated in , Wellington. Klt was .well known that, for instance, wharf labourers would not go to .i •' another avocation. Inquiries bad shown i, that men who had been idle only ono day had put themselves down as unemployed. Mr. M'Laren: Not wharf labourers.

Official List of Worklesa. Mr. Millar wont on to say that officers of tho Labour Department had compiled a list of nnomployod skilled; from . tho books of tbe Department, and those belonging to the various unions. It \ub abso- i lutcly impossible to get the total of unemplojcd unskilled workers.. No sooner was wbik found for forty unskillod men than another forty turned up in their places.' As Mig'Si $oploiin the country districts Wind that 'work was being provided in thocities at 'Bs. per (lay, they would flock to tho cities. Tho list to which ho bad just referred gavo tho number of unemployed skilled workers in tho cityof Wellington as follows;— ' llegistored Number on with Dept. Union bookß. Tl. Bakers i , 5 2 Bricklavors ... ' ' ~ ' Butchers 2 6 8 Builders' labourers... — 10 • "* Cantors and joinCoachworkors ... 2 — 2 Coopers 1 * Engineering trades... 30 — «*j Furniture trades ... 3 3 v S' Letterpress printers' • machinists ... 1 1 2 Painters ..'. / ... 30 52 55 Plasterers 1 12. 13 Plumbers 3 — •} Saddlors 1 1 , 2 I Shipwrights ... 1 — I 1 Slate and tilo roofers 1 — v * Totals ... 197 202 32V Mr. Millar remarked that it would thus be seen that caipenters and joiners represented one-third of the skilled workers out of employment, i Mr. Carey: It is no guide. Jlr. Hcardon: Carpenters have an uncra- 1 plojcd benefit, but. as in other lines tbo < workers don't liavo that they don't apply. , Mr. Millar: I have tried to ascertain tho correct totals in a practical way. Mi. Hcardon: Secretaiies only put down tho names of enough unemployed workors to comply with the requirements of the award governing their trade. The names of all tho unemployed men aro not given. [ Mr. Noot, president of tho Trades and Labour Council, gave the figures totalling 1100 uncmplojcd which ho quoted at tho public . meeting. ■ ' Mr. Millar repeated that an officer of tho Labour Department had been sent round to tho offices of the various unions in order to get reliable data. / Mr. Stobart: A great deal rests on tho seolctanos. Tho figures relating to tho carpenters and joiners are correct. Position in Other Cities. Mr. .Millar thought that more could be expected ot many of tho local bodies. Ho said Hint in Dunedm tho corporation had put on 105 men, tho Drainage Board and tho Haibour Boaid had t.ikou on a number, and Iho Government had found work for others, with the result that tho total of uncmplojcd had been brought down to GO, and it was hoped it would shortly bo ic(luecd to 30. In Chnstchurch tho local authoiitics had also been trying to meet tho situation. Further, scvcial Ml the unions ' had assisted by donating part of their funds to find work tor their member. > Mi. M'Larcn; Wc are not nllowed to levy contnbutions for an unemployment fund. Mr. Mijlar said that ho hoped to.bo able to intioduco a Bill which would open tho matter up foi discussion on lines somewhat similar to those of tho English s\«tcm, lio quoted figures to show that on July 2, 11 mauled and 27 singlo men had registered as buslimeii at Auckland. They wcie, ho said, willing to go anyw hero they were sent. Further, there wcie p 7 married and 105 single men on tho books as labourers. The Department w.'-s sending 100 to tho railway works at To Karaka, and 50 to those at Stratioid. At Wellington, on the same date, tho bushmen. totalled 39 marrjed and 14 single. Of labomois there Here si.\tj marnerl men and 225 Jingle men. The Depart- ' meiit hnd cent 30 buslimon to Waitotaia; 20 labourer* to tho Nelson railway woiks, and 1 20 to tho Stiatfoul works It was proposed to send 20 moie to Nelson and 70 to btratford at the rate of 20 per week He c< II- - wdeied that it would ho dowiuigjit cruelly to send tho men to the woiks until tents, etc., wcro in icadinoK. foi them. That w.is the re.iion for sending tho men only m snuli batches. Tho figures at Clinstchuich weic as follow: Bushmen, 5 married and ; 2C singlo; labourers, 10 married and 38single For Dnnedin tho totals woio: Bushmen, !. married, 10 single; gonoral labourers, G( man led and 101 singlo. What tho Government is Doing, Tho Government wore endoavouiing to finij work os near as possible to the places' in, wbioh tho mon resided. It was found that Uio great difficult?, was to provide for tk<s

eldllod workers. TTpon ono of tho pob& buildings another story was. about to bo 1 pat o± tho oost of from £1200 to £1500. That would give work for a number of bricklayers, 'carpenters, and painters. Altogether, tho Government could only P 1 " 0 oneh-fofling, raflway work, for 700 ,- men, of whom a largo nnmber had already been engaged. The Publio Works Department had a-rrangod for the painting of the present Parliamentary Building. That day a dozen men had been sent to do painting w connection with tho Porirua Asylnm buildlings. Ho felt that there was no good in .' trying to meet tho situation by a patch- ' work system. The Government was already - paying co-operative workers £960,000 per annnm in wages, and now thoy wero providing for anothor 700 mon. The Financial Aspect. " If the pooplo insisted upon the prosecution of public works at tho present rate, there would either have to be further borrowed money, or increased taxation. During tho past year,' tho public indebtedness was augmented by 'four millions. The presont expenditure of 2J millions on public works per , annum was greater than tho mcreaso in, the population jus'tified, taking into con-1 gideration tho amount of taxation. It was ft matter which Parliament would have to, deal with next session. The Government .would do what it could to copo with tho present difficulty, but 'it must not exceed its means. ,Mr. Millar mentioned that the foundations of tho new Government House were being laid; also those for tho new , post office, for the construction of which tenders would shortly be invited, and the lowest, if reasonable, would be accepted. Tho new post office at Auckland "would cost £93,000, whilst tho new post office at.Wcllinfrton' would, ho supposed, run into a Simi,'lar figure. .That meant that £200,000 was ' about to bo spent on two buildings, in additfon to the;monoy which was for school and other public buildings. Wnero ,' all the money that was wanted was going ' ' to come from he really did not know.. There wore people who complained of further bor- " rowing, yet they wanted largo works put in hand, .fwhich could not be paid for out of revenue. They were already told that thoy ' l ' were tho most heavily-taxed country in tho world. , ' Appeal to Local Bodies. • . He 'would ask the local authorities, not the city local authorities, alone, to provide as much'work as they possibly-could. It was the duty of tho country districts to provide work for their own unemployed. ' " Mr. Newman: Thoy cannot do so untu they get their grants. 'Mr. Millar: They have got that now. ' Mr. Stobart: I think tho Government ghould issue a manifesto on the subject., Mr. Millar next remarked that if the country districts kept their own unemployed the cities could the better look after theirs. It' was absolutely impossible for tho Government, with the money at'their command, to find work'for everybody who desired it. Mr. Luke: It should see that more skilled labourers aro not brought into New Zealand. -Mr. Millar: I don'£ know that we shall 1 be troubled in that direction any more. Just now I shall say no-moro on that point ' • Mr. Wright said it had been declared that Editions to Victoria College were badly Mr. Millar: The work would fiavo to bo authorised by Parliament. ' ~ Mr. Wright: Don't you issue Treasury Bills?, , Mr. Millar: The only other moneys cx- ■ copting those provided for aro £50,000 for new roads, and an increase of £100,000 to the unauthorised fund. Government House is .being put in hand .under "unauthorised " Mr. Luke: If thcro was the money we could do with a new technical school. Mr. Stobart: And additions to tho hospital. Mr. Millar: If wo went on with those works we would have to take mon off railway and road works. 1 Land Settlement. Mr.' Nowman: And how about putting more peoplo on the land ? , ; _ Mr.'Millar'said that the land which had been seti aside*,for ex-Government, officials was not merely for ex-civil servants" but foi any ex-pubho • servants. Tho object was" tc prevent those who had lost their position* i from getting on tho labour market as un Bmployed. It had beeri found absolutelj necessary to retrenoh in a wholesale manner v He found that there were nearly 130,00( people directly dependent on the Goveramen at the present timo. - Mr. M'Laren: Could tho Government no set apart land for unemployed clerical peoph as well as for ex-public servants? Mr. Millar pointed out that there wa a certain amount of Crown lands left. Som. of it was very heavy land. As soon as tho - Block was cleared, it would bo ready for occupation. ■ No donbt thcro were ' , other blocks which might bo used in tho samo , N way if tho proposal wore igreed to. Tho land which was being put aside for the ex-public servants was lightly-timbered,, second-class land, 1 which any ordinary man without boing ~ robust could mako reproductive. Mr. Newman: Aro you giving it to them ? ' Mr. Millar: No, we shall lcaso it to them and give them assistance to build a house and * employment in making roads. * ' Mr. Herdman: Does the total of 130,000 people .dependent on tho Government for their livelihood include tho school teachers?

"The Men Will Have to Follow tht*Wortt." £ Mr. Millar roplied that it included teachers, j police, and postal officials, etc. It was com- [ piled on the basis of' each official having two : dependents, say a wife and one child. Ho t went ,on to say that it was hoped to find i -employment at tbo rato of fifty por week ; for a little time ' I Mr. M'Laren: Havo you arranged that one j ■ Department should do tho engaging of the < •men ? • . Mr. Millar said.the trouble had been that I ,tho money came from different funds. It * had now' been decided that one Department . should do the engaging. ,It was perfectly ' true that preference had been given to tho , 4 married man who had to pay at least double i ■ taxation for himself and his wife—and ho i might 1 also hav'o a family—whether he liked i / it or not. It mast not bo imagined that ' tho Government had boycotted the singlo v, men. Whenever married men did not como forward when work was offerod, singlo men would bo engaged. Ho could assure tho deputation that lie would lay tho matter before Cabinet, which would," he felt smo, do all it could in what was undoubtedly a crisis. i?rivato employers, as well _as' tho Government, woro retrenching. Ho' might speak candidly, and say that the Government could not bring-work to the men; they would have .to follow tho work. It was his inteniion v to ascertain, as far as possible,' tho working of-the Germ in and tho English - Acts. It was tho caiual workor that was most difficult to provide for. He hoped to get tho assistance of thoso who had had the problem under consideration. Whoro theio were men who were not productive, 1 it was undoubtedly a national loss. ■ - Mr. Eirk raised tho question : as to whether ithe Government would give a subsidy on the 'money publicly subscribed. Ho pointed out that there was work on the Victoria College grounds, whioh would have to bo dono sooner of later by the Government. If tho Government could get it down at half the total cost, it would be a good thing. Mr. Millar, in reply, said he, personally, would agreo to support a subsidy in respect of a work which the Government would sooner or later be compelled to do. Ho would be glad if a proposal were submitted to him on the subject. ■ In conclusion, Mr. Millar said, he would again urgo -on all local bodies to strain a point to do as much as possible to provido work during the next two or three months. It was his opinion 'that tho spring would bring brighter times, and that thero would not bo a recurrence of tho present unfortunate difficulty. PROGRESS OF RELIEF MOVEMENT RESPONSE TO THE APPEAL. Tho appeal to the public on behalf erf tho unemployed has given the relief movement a definite "start, and subscriptions have commenced to come in, whilst other moves are mooted for tho purpose of assisting the ■ fund. ' In conversation with a Representative of TnF. Do>u:aox, his Worship tho Mayor said it was hoped to bo able to start a number of men working in a few days, but everything would depend upon the rato at which

gttbaiclpLiuua camo to hand. If tho com-- i mittee had no money to credit, the work- i less could not be employed. .'She' qnestina ' of how many men were to bo employed, and 1 whore they were to be'stationed, would be a matter-for the Executive Committee, and he would'call the executive together directly there was,'onongh money in hand to deal with. In the meantime, a fond to be known as the District Fond Account has been opened, in the name of Messrs. R.O. Kirk, and '. the Mayor, and all: moneys received will 1 be credited to this account. •-.'■• | ;Somo of; the Applications. '• Yesterday morning's mail brought Mr. ( Geo; Willis, the secretary of the committee, ( a batch of: close on eighty letters, from unemployed; desftous of having their names , recorded on the list of applicants for work. "I have been:out of work.for;months, and i would take any kind of employment,"; was the substance of the majority of the letters,.and the.applicants were generally eager ■ for work', and raado no stipulation as to the wage, bo long, as the' work was forthco'm- , •ing. One man had not been employed sinco : November. "Things are real bad," wrote another; "I haven't been" able to get. a job for -.'two'".- months." ■' Another man. who described himself as being a general labourer, able to do any'class of labouring work, had been able to get nothing but one spoil of ■' sis weeks' stonerbreaking during the past six months. ' "The married men always get preference," was the burden of a letter,from a. single man, who had been out of work since Christmas, and.was now in a destitute condition, and 'had undergone great hard- 1 , ships of lato. .He was willing -,to do anything the, committee could put;in his way. The applicants included professional menf, clerks, seamen,' and labourers, all of whom had the same story to .tell. "We bave had a rough time since January," wrote a professional'man from Australia, who intimated his'willingness to take to the pick and shovel if necessary. Ho possessed high credentials, and ovor 30 years' experience, but numerous interviews had yielded nothing but promises, and an' incursion : into' the canvassing busir ioss-had.brought no' grist to reward.hours of patient toiling from house to house.' .-- '■;'.'■ ;"-;";Ful! Rates of Pay. Although 'the Citizens' Committee has not drawn up any definite rules of procedure so far, it,is stated that.full rates will bo ,'favbirred by -the committee, some members being.;: prepared to urge, say, ■ three days i -employment , at ' Bs., ■ 'per "day rather,.. 1 than four * days ■'■ atv 6s. ' .Tree-; planting and pick-and-shovel work generally 'will probably, form the staple works' on which the men will-be 'employed. Many of the men will not be at home' with the pick and shovel,' but they are willing to. try any- ■ thing .to earn a livelihood. - ..■ '■■■,-, \ : ..v ; " "'/, .-'A. batch of ■ about '.', 60 unemployed carpenters and joiners called at the Trades Hall yesterday, and registered their names. The majority of the: men are ma-rried, and have families dependent on them. ; Australia is appealing: to a number, of members of the trade who.are in a. position to leave the Dominion in search of employment.", a -:.-■' /' Subscriptions. ,'•-. Subscriptions are .being received by the -secretary of ■■' the .■; committee,' '.. who.:' had banked£s6 up to midday yesterday, the subscriptions being as under:— •-.■■■'-■.>-.' \ v ■'_• ;-, : ": :; .v:- '':";:-.".'£'- : s;-.ci.-'Miss E..L. Johnston .. 25 0,0 Dr. A-.- K.Nowman ................v.'. 20 0 0 Mr. Jas. 'Trevor 5 5 0 Mr. W. T. Barraud 5 0 0 Mr. G. Hescott (Christchurch).... 110 Total ..., £56 6 0 Subscription lists woro sent out yesterday to the various members of the committee and to tho newspaper offices. It is stated that cheques received by his 'Worship the Mayor will bring the total well over £100, but these additional sums are not available yet. ' i Ladies to the Fore. A publjq,, Electing of women interested in the formation of' a committee to assist in raising funds is being called by tho Mayoress (Mra. Newman), and will bo held in,the Concert Chamber of tho Tdwn Hall at 3 p.m.' to-morrow. It is understood that Mrs. J. P. Luke will move the main resolution, I which will bo seconded by Mrs.' A. R. Atkinson, i . , Miss Hardinge-Malthy has intimated that she will give an entertainment next month ' in aid of tho funds, and it is- stated that ' tho Mayor has been approached by others who' propose giving an entertainment in the ' Town Hall in aid of the unemployed.

"THE RIGHT TO WORK.",

MR. M'LAREN AND REGULATION OF INDUSTRIES. Alluding to tho leader in yesterday's issue of Tim Dominion-, Mr". M'Laron, M.P., told a reporter that this papor had misunderstood his suggestion as to tho regulation of industries with a view to making employment moro regular. Ho had never argued, ho said, for any limitation of output. Ho was dealing, when he mado the' suggestion, with what tho best authorities in tho Old Country regarded as one of the most serious problems to be giappled with, and what the RighfeHon. John Burns looked upon as one of tho most important aspects iof the s labour question, namely, the irregular and intermittent nature of a large amount of employment, even during periods of ordinarily good trade. In some industries it would bo possible, he contended, to check some of the growth in that direction by attention to the regulation of the conditions of trade and employment. When he ' , argued for tho right to work, ho was no ' moro supporting reliance on temporary relief works than was the Right Hon. John Burns when he opposed the British Labour Party's 'Right to "Work Bill. Tho Government which rejected that measure was taking up the question of unemployment on tho lines of Germany and other countries that had Statesubsidised insurance against unemployment, thus recognising that tho right of the great mass of the people to a livelihood was something other than a concession of tho naturo of charity or any other form of special favour. [Mr. M'Larcn has quite failed to clear up tho point wo commented on. What does ho mean by tho regulation 'of industry so as v to do away with or minimise irregularity of employment? Employment must bo plentiful in busy times, when the demand is great,-and lacking iri slack times, when tho demand is loss. How can tho demand of tho nations of tho world be regulated?] ,

THE STATE AS EMPLOYER.

',[-■, REMAKES BY THE HON. T.,'.'■, ; ¥<'■' :■';";';;. -'.MACKENZIE.■•;;■■.: ; Y/' ; - :V ;V ...';' (By; Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) . ;.y} : ■ •''■• \'.v,-''r-': i Auckland, '■'- •'■. In spite of the efforts of the City Council and other bodies the problem of unemployment is still acute in Auckland, and is somewhat ■greater' this year than': it-was .last. One indication, in this direction is ; ,the comparative number of tradesmen who have secured work from the Labour Bureau. On being questioned as to the attitude.of the Government in regard: to the unemployed question, the Hon. T. Mackenzie stated that he was unable to say what was.being done by-ihe other Departments, but, as Minister for Agriculture, he purposed having some 200 acres of land on the State Farm at Levin stumped ;and cleared. Thevland was of excellent quality, and could bo.turned to profitable account as soon as; it was cleared. The cost of. tho work would probably be about £500, and it would provide work for a great number of men. In regard. _to the unemployed generally, the Minister said that the: State' was already providing work for soino 9000 men on the various public works, and this, represented, roughly, an expenditure of something like three quarters of a million sterling l a year. The Government was, at the present time, straining ; a point in increasing this large number by giving work to the unemployed, but it might happen in the not far distant future that the Dominion would not bo ableto continue to find „ work for the number at present employed. As, however, increased means became available, with the improvement: in the conditions of - the /oouatry—and the recovery

in lie vohrme of exports that was now taking place'already pointed in that direction— the. State would, of course, be able to oxtend its functions as employer. \ \ ■ - : '- ' WORK FOR TOO MEN FOUND. (By Tolegraph.-Press Association.) ' Christchurch, July 5. On the general question of the unemployed, the Hon. J. A. Millar told a deputation of Christchurch members that the Government had found work for 700 men at bushfelling and railway works. Only qualified men were put on to bush work, bo that the less experienced men would be absorbed on railways. The insurance risks were covered by tho Government,, the men got their tents free, and could pay for tools, cooking utensils, etc., out of their wages. Work was let by contract, at from 255. to ,355. an acre. Thero were 10,000 acres to be cleared, and this area would be snapped up in a moment if it was cleared. If the bushfelling and railways did not. absorb: all the men, there was .a ton-mile road to bo made which would assist the more helpless. v ■ : Tho Hon. R. M'Kenzie has telegraphed' to Mr; Russell, M.P., stating that he is making inquiry to see if something can be done to relieve the unemployed in uhristchrrroh. Since* June 20 the local office of tie Department of Labour has sentt 38 men to the Midland rail'way works between Cass and Bealey, 18 to bushfelling contracts, and 16 to other works —a total of 72. Another party of twenty men will be dispatched shortly to. the Midland railway works, and the officer in charge is awaiting further instructions from the head .office with regard to making up another gang of bu-shfellers. Since the outbreak of the unemployed trouble 139 men have registered their names at the City Council offices, but only 73 have applied for orders enabling them to be taken on the works. THE NAPIER UNEMPLOYED. (Byholograph.—Special Correspondent.), Napier, July 5. The unemployed' difficulty in Napier-- is assuming a rather serious phase,' and the streets are . showing a too large sprinkling of men out of -work. Cases of actual distress are known to exist, and the pinch of poverty is, taking the heart out of some deserving workmen. '; The disheartening notice, . "No more labourers required," remains exposed on the .door; of the Council: Chambers, and: the municipal books;.show 99'.,applications for employment.•'.'.' A. number of these names have "probably been put down in anticipation of loan : expenditure, but the future prospect does not relieve the present difficulty. Sixteen, men were discharged by the corporation on Saturday, the council's financial 'arrangements not' warranting their further- employment on. the' roads. A number of the men discharged claim _ that they' are .old employees of the -council who had only, their weekly wage to support their, wives and children. A "Daily Telegraph" reporter was approached by a party of unemployed this morning, and some cases of individual hardship were revealed. Tho majority of the men were honest, hard-working labourers, and faced their unfortunate position. 'in., a philosophical spirit. . Some of them spoke with a degree of bitterness, and all agreed that the position was more acute: than the public ,were evidently willing: to recognise. Inquiry-, at the office of the Charitable Aid Board shows' that applications forrehef;. have, not (increased this month to the extent that might have been expected, but applications for employment at the Labour-Bureau 'are, becoming more numerous, and out of| 30 applicants who have registered: theft names 'during the past ten days .13 are married [men: :