OUT OF WORK.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 568, 24 July 1909, Page 7

OUT OF WORK.

STREET PROCESSION AT CHRISTCHURCH. THE MAYOR GRANTS A PERMIT. (By Telecraph—Press Association.) Ghrlstchuroh, July 23. Shortly after half-past ten to-day .several mombers of' tho unemployed • assembled in Cathedral Square with a banner on "-Inch wero the words, "Wo Want A\or<t. soon had a fairly largo gathering around them, and tho arrival of a couple or constables; attraoted ■ good tnany ' more 'people: ■- The oonstablcs asked , for the ringleader,' and Mr. W. Kilgour replied that there was I no! ringloader, but that the men had comI binsd to hold a demonstration, for tho pnrI poso of obtaining work. : The constables 6aid ! that before the mon could march in proces- | sion-through the city they would ,-bave to i obtain a permit from the City Council, and that: Marched!without a permit they, would be liable to prosecution for breach ot i-tho by-law. .. . ■■■■ • On tho advico of the police the msn decided 1 Jfco. approach tho council: and: several of them iront to. the.: Council Chambers to apply for a permit, On arriving there they were informed that they would not-bc able to get a "permit: for'some days; and they then decided to parade the 'streets and chance being; arrested.'- One: man said that in any case, if he waß. put into sgaol the Government :-would- have . to keep "him, and he might_ bo. there just as well ias doing nothing outside. 1 t Two constables met .the men -afterwaids and took tho names of four of them, for Aise in event of a procession being held. ....The, men explained that they would hold the pro-cession-whether theygot a. permit or not. ' : On returning to the-. Square, they wore met by a large conoourseof people, many of whom- 1 were not- unemployed, and Air. Kilgour mounted a packing case and in- ! formed tho gathering that it was found impossible to get a permit.- ' . '„■■■... >: , ■ Mr. B. Thropi city inspector, informed, him then that if the men saw ■ the Mayor bofcireen twelve and, one .they could get a permit, and a resolution was carried to the effect : that thoy; shduld apply for one. 1■ > Then another resolution was carried to the .effect- that- : if the 'permit: were not granted by the Mayor, the mon - should hold tho procession all tho same, and this, was gretted;with ~,'h£ars,:hears." : ■; ■ Sereral'of -.the 'men said ;that if' they; wore £ut in . gaol they !would not mind; and .the 'gathering^decided'■ to meet; and parade /it 2 p.m. ■ ■. : 1 ' : "At'noon a deputaion waited oh tho Mayor 'and ; asked vth'at ;-he ; would • grant permission for the unemployed to' hold a procession. . Mr. Allison said that ho would give the men permission to parade tho sireots providing that tho - only' banner .. they carried was that marked "Wo Want Work," a®d. also that the procession would be; conducted in •an orderly HK»nner._ The. men gave. t-his fassurahra,: arid receiveda permit. . ■ : At tiro o'clock thero was a,gathering of all sorts, mainly the idly curious,: ! in the. Cathedral Square, and Mr. Kilgour. again mounted, the packing-case and spoke for some timp regarding tho problem, of : unemployment. • The ''procession" then began, a yoimg man 'taking' charge of - the b*nnoT. /He" and .Mr." Kilgour carried .-tho' poles, . and- after waiting lor, a' few .minutes','.half a, doien enthusiasts marched off down Colombo. Street, followed by a. mixed, crowd. '. They paraded' several 'strwts. and 'then ; returned, to v,'theSquare, •where another meeting was held. ' .

Telegram Fr«m th# Hen. J. Carroll. - This morning Mr. T; E.' Taylor, .M.P., rp-oe-lvcd a telegram , from ; :ithe. Acting-Prime Minister, :Vin;'roply '!to . |us.'. request : that . the 1 Government - should help, the,-.-. Christ-church unemployed, 'stating'; that ; tho. ■ Government could not subsidise local works, but that, as f«T as public works . went, it. was doing all bhkt it could .withintho means available.. to providei work. : He add-cd that he hatl referred the -mattefofi .Summit'. Road-iio f.or, .Public W ° rkS ' To 1 PreventOyeriaVfitngv ~>V s

' • At a oonferenco/:. convened' by the..Mayor, -'of v representatives-: of various: agencies .'.en-: assisting ;to{relieve '.the unemployed ~by' giving .monetery: help '.or; by :find'tng • 'Work,•■ : representatives from-social 'organisations -to_- : advise . eaoh other with * regard - to, applications', for, oha-rit-ab!o aid, in order to: prevent overlapping. A Citizens'. :Committee - ; was-- appointed -.to ' collect finds 'to'provide work for tho, unemployed.- ; .The'Mayor stated: that .to;date .665 psrsbns had - applied to the City Council' for relief.' Of these,-'lO9-married men and >18 smgle.-mon .received relief,• tho ■ majority getting, ono. week's, work.. ;•; j-!- ;

MERE MACHINES. MR. T. E."TAYLOR ON'THE RIGHT TO 'WORK.' '■ •■'■■■ (Br Tblegraph.-Speolal Oorrcapondont.) ~ • - . • Chrlstchumli, July 23. •"If a Right to Work Bill is passed,"-.said Mr. T. yesterday whon addressing a deputation ot nneiuployed, "you _must 'olciirfv' understand that t-ho right .to i choose what 'kind of >w>rk you shall do. is gone from ■ jpu 'absolutely; : If. a. man has: got long haiT and thinks God liini a poot he ca-nnot .como to t-hei GoTcrnmtmt : and say, 'I want'work as a ixret:!;;lDon't forget, that the men Tfill - become '-mere -. machines.', Xo Government will undertake to find a sufficient va-rioty of 'to'''satisfy tho qualifications of every worker. ;If *a man is"a carpenter he might'have to'-go oiitvand do fa/rm labouring.: ' ■' - • 'Tnat is. what wc do now," interjected ono of tho crowd. • ~' V. -V: "Yfs," said Mr. Taylor, '/you. do tiiat at a pinch, but when thb;pinch is over-you want •to do what you chooso. I think myself,.' continued ' Jlr;.Taylor,, .'.'that every unemployed man is a tax on' somebody s industry, '»nd; the! Government ought. .to. take, an; opportunity :.foi- 'finding wofk 'for every vmain ;unemployed. ': I will tiso my best, .endeavours ; to hive'a Right to Work Bill passed."- v.-V. "1 am. satisfied if thoy were all like you, commented" ono ; of; tho crowd, ."this stato of : -things w'ould not - exist at all." ri _ , ; '1 don't know," replied Jtr. Taylor. 'Tne : unemployed iproblem" is a diffictdt' toning. • 1, ;-am a : Socialist up to a certain point, but cve ry man likes to be independent,; '■ and ho Wouid riot assont to. becoming a mere ma;chine under Sociiali'stip regulations." ', ; • llr. Taylor added that lie bolioved tho ' G bvorn nient . had mado up its mind. to let ■things straighten themselves out, and: it WO3 ! 'mighity 'little, that tho Government .'(yoluld do.' In his- opinion ,tlie ; Government should wwrk -the Paranara; iron: deposits as a national industry,'" in which it would bo competing •with'ii<ibody., 1 -Ho -also: thought that State: •farms shoul'd bo established noar all the big oestres. .:

CONTROL OF POLITICAL MACHINERY

(By Telcßraph.—Press Association.) . Duncdln, July 23.> .'At. a special.meeting.of the .Otago .Trades and Labour Council last night, the executive submitted • o report on ,- uncmployment. , ,Thp report- stated"The. executive is of-opinion that tho question of unemployment can. only be solved through the industry,;being; organ-: iaed on scientific lines, having a basis of pro* diction for use instead of. profit, and that this can only <bo : brought about by the- instruments of production, distribution, and 'exchange: being: in the hands of the- Stato. Th« prcsont commercial . system is, -in -our opinion,'the real cause of the present unemployment, with its attendant evils. . Tho executive recommend-' that a - strong-; offort «hould ; bo mado to secure oontrol of.tho'poll-, (acal machinery, and that the timo is opportune for an energetic campaign amongst,orEanised; workers,: with a. view.to- ereatiiig.a abour party in Parliament, plodgcd and controlled by>tho Labour.organisation which may be .brought into existence." -

THE WELLINGTON RELIEF WORKS.

Tho workers employed on tho Wadestown Road *r.e benefiting by the generosity and thoughtfulness' of.' Mrs.; S.. A. Rhodes,- who has made arrangements that tho. men shall bo provided with.hot tea during their dinnor Anobher slip'oame down at the Victoria College grounds on Thursday night. The slip has blocked; the road to the gymnasium, and is to be removed immediately by tho Belief Committee's men.

|In order to remove tho hill ,at the back of tho gymnasium, a road is being formed to the back of the building, and work wal be started on the bank next week. Satisfactory progress ■is being made on the hummocks at the front of the college. • Tho Hon. :J. E. Jenkinson s ' proposal to tho effect that the men employed on the Relief Works should be giyeuthe opportunity of obtaining a hot dinner on the works at: cost price was , mentioned, yesterday by a civil engineer, who agreed that the scheme was! a sound one, although, it ivould' probably '-. only work successfully at .Victoria College, where the men were working 'in a bunch. Some contractors who had done what .was proposed by Mr. Jenkinson had found that the increased output' by the men had justified .the experiment. Over 100 men who: have -applied to the Wanganui Borough Council for work have been given employment chopping down trees and cutting them up into, firewood,, and removing sand in hand-carts. Married men have been; given the, first chance, and after they had been dealt with, single men were provided for. Tho amount paid into tho bank to tho credit of the Reliof Committee to date is £1269 17s. Bd., but this sum is not all in hand, the. payments for wages having depleted ;the credit account to somo extent. The latest donations are: £ s. d. l'er'Mrs.: Hayes 1 1 0 6 i Musical Helpers _... .;. 2 2 0 The secretary of the. < unemployed fund (Mr. Geo. Willis) desires -to. acknowledge the receipt of a £10 donation from the Painters' mid Decorators' Union. .- '. : BIG WORKS AHEAD. 1 -Thq present condition/of labour in many of its.branches.will shortly be, relieved;,to a' Very great lextent'.by the' several big' works •ahead. ' ..At 'LTfesday's meeting of ~ the Harbour Board, it was announced that the. contract for .the" big .'retaining wall; to bo 'constructed .'.in.,, continuation of the present 'one at • Waterloo; Quay, ; had been let to Mr. C. T. Pulloy, thq pnoo bomg a sum exceed-, ins £35,000. This should provide work for a big gang, of men almost immediately. But ;the biggest work now within view, which will, .provide a good deal of .' work', for coin pot en t'pick and .shore! mon, is that to be done, by' tho Harbour Board on tho Miramar side of ,tho head of Evans Bay. The. entire .cost of 'this work is set-down at £61,000, a proportion of which will be for/ tho opening Jo 66ft/'of tho Mirama-r cutting and tho', hewing .down.'of the'crown of; the big' ridgo'.;imsfiedi-, ;ately to. the wrath of the cutting, thespoil from . which 1 is to., reclaimforroadway purposes a strip of .tho foreshore opposite.; Tho 'reconstruction •of Miramar -Wharf. should 'also give' employment; to another class', of ■workmen.' , 'The irwholeV; extent of tho work cannot bo tackled . at' once, ; but -if a , .tender is accepted within the next few weeks, thoro is every prospect- of work being, provided •for al. gang of..men. .. ,' . • ; Another prospective work is the construction of tho -Maranui .extension of tho_ city itramways, in .terms of an. agreement with the late Mr. H.-D. Crawford. Half a milo of tramway ■is to bo laid down, connecting Kilbirnie South with the beach at Lyell Bay, ■via Onepu /Road., The .southern half of.-this road has bcon completed and... dedicated, and tho other: half has-been formod, but is yet to bk. metalled:* According-' to the terms of tho agreement,: tho work has to becommencod by tho ond of October but, although [delays ■have;,occurredin • thisoonnection, it •■is anticipated, .that, these, will '.-.be . finally, cleared, away very shortly, and, .as mMt of Uie material' is already here,: the' work; will ibe'gono 'on'iwith.' vlt.'is highly, desirable'that' this work should bo put in hand immediately,. so as to : ensure';tramway, connection, with, the Lyell Bay - beach-.at. tho beginning of the sumrooi] • season. ■ ■'■;

;■ PROPOSED ADDITIONS TO VICTORIA COLLEGE BUILDINGS. ■ A special"'meeting' of tho' Victoria College Council was hold last- evening to consider 'how tife '.increased accommodation required :at j.tiha ?collie tafiquld;'hfe 1 supplied.. rhexo ivoro also presentv tlici Hon.' J.. E. Jenliinson, M.L.C., Messrs. A. L Hcrdraan, and F. M. B. "Fisher, and representaitiyes of the .Professorial-Board and tho Students' Association.'V/Unauimous support .was given to..'tto;]»opos&ls. for, increased accom'modijtiori ; in .view,'' of' the present 1 . dearth' jot employment-.''.'The speakers declarod that .more accommodation wn-s needed ..at once, iand'that effort's-should ib? made, to get subscriptions, which would; be. subsidised; by the Govornnient . to the extent of £2 ■ for. every ;pound collected.' An oxccutiyo . (Xiiunuttoo was appointed to" make, an active canvass ■of ,the education 'districts served by-the. college.