THE UNEMPLOYED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 570, 27 July 1909, Page 7

THE UNEMPLOYED.

THE RELIEF WORKS.

CHANGING THE -GANGS. • The gangs which have been working during the past week'have been unfortunate in ', striking exceptionally bad' weather, but in - spits of the, broken time their week will be ' up to-night, wid frosh. gangs will sot to work on . Wednesday morning. The Victoria. 'College grounds will be open to, the gang which did the first week's'work there. Working : weok and week about, tho Relief Committee is finding work for a total of 172 men, m addition to' which tfoero are 27 on other smaller jobs,' whilst "probably another 60 have been found work through the committee. The '• applications for work to date number ove-r ', 550, but $inco sorao of these men registered I their names •Mγ.' Willie has not hoard from ■ ,them, 'so that he, takes it that they have 'shifted for lihemsclvee. A revised list of ' names is being prepared at present. t The Relief Committee has secured employment for-10 carpenters, a painter, and-a. general labourer, who are to commence work ' at Victoria College. ,Six,of the men will turn to this morning and the balance will go on at the end of the week, . CASES GENUINE ANP LESS GENUINE. A WORD BYHON. J. A. MILLAR. , Referring to the unemployment question, > J. A. Miliar (Minister for Labour) 4old ,a Dominion reporter yesterday that fewer applications were now being' received for work. Hβ,wont or to say fihat nearly tho whole of the 700 additional men for whom the Government promised ,work had been taken on. The diminution in the number of applicants was due in great measure also to the local bodies in various centres starting works. A,large number of the men who came in to tho towns, wore now returning to the country districts. It hadbeen proved beyond doubt that somo work- , ers.left contracts .in the, hopo that, they would make better wage; on tho works. - ' ■■• ' / RAILWAY HANDS.., Tho Minister for Railways has informed Mr. J. T. Hogan, M.P, for Wanganni, that it is vory probable thai the men discharged , recently at the Eastown Railway Workshops < would be put on again. -Work:, said . the Minister, would no doubt soon be, found for , the men, as it was intended shortly to con-etract-600 trucks and 30 locomotives in the Dominion. ' ; WORK FOR WOODCHOPPERS. , \ An application for ■ ten expert woodchoppers to undertake) a" contract at Bel- ' mont brought forward the requisite number ' of men.' The party visited Bolmont yesterday to view the wood on which they are to operate, and at once closed an agreement, which is likely , to keep them employed for some months to come.. It is probable that another batch of men may bo engaged if the / present contract is successful, \ ' -'< A BTJSHFELLER'S LETTER., . ■ Writing to tihe Hon., D. Buado (ActingMinister for Lands), one of the busnfollors at w;ork on tJie 'Ranntatau Block, saysi • "Speaking on .behalf of myself and members of my gang, let mo say i that wo t are. well satisfied both with the conditions' and the' treatment meted out to us. . . , All tho members of the g_aiig are good workers. . . .•..Wβ had a little difficulty in connection with carrying ( our stores to tho point at which we are camped,, but tho officer in charge very kindly sent a canoe round the river with them. . . , Wo expect to mako fair wages." ' PILGRIMS AT,COUNTRY STATIONS. A Hawke'a Bay farmer informs us that there are from six to twenty "out-of-work" men' visiting the in tho district daily. The pilgrims will.-not work generally for less than,'a shilling an "hour, out r/ they'demand food and accommodation 'in tho v mmostt t brusqno manner. With few exceptions js ,these men .are.said to be poor workore. "Finally," remarked the fariiejy "their line ', of march is marked by a trail of gates, which matter in, a. Sheep-man's mind is an offenoa'not easy to forget qt forgive." > A CONFERENCE. - 1 ' PROTECTION'DISCUSSED. • . , (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) , Christchurch, July 26. A conference of representatives', of -tho ■ ~Trades and Labour Council and <tho Industrial Association was held to-night to discuss tho question of unemployment. Representatives of tho association referred to excessive 'importation of articles in com. nton consumption as a possible explanation of unemployment. Importations or woollen njiinufaoturcd goods wero specially menj tioned. They desired that tbo, question should bo considered altogether apart from politics, and with tbo intention of finding a , remedy for the existing state of affairs. Mr. Frostick (Industrial Association) referred to the United States, and to the comparatively small importations -of goods that could be manufactured in 'the country -as the rosnlt of the belief that anything manuffio-, tured ( in the United States was good enough foi AinericMie. The Commonwealth of Australia was adopting a similar policy. Mr. Howard (Trades and Labour Council) said he supposed the only alternative for the Dominion was to*adopt now protection,.but b,o' did not think the workers of New Zea-land-would agree to any further protection, as, it was known, unless the Govemmont had the* right, in addition to_ fixing the rate of duty, of fixing tho soiling price and- the wage tho worker was to receive as his share vof the bargain. , ' ' Mr, J. • Whiting' (Trades ■ and Labour Council), referring to tho boot trade, said , those Now Zealand- manufacturers who re--4 strioted themselves >to tho manufacture of the Now Zealand article were ablo to give their employees ■ a fairly constant employment, while manufacturers who also did indent business were only a,ble to give intermittent employment, with the result that tho condition of tho employees of the lastmentioned was most deplorable, • and very 1 nearly as bad as tho men who were walking about tho streets looking for work, Reference was made by other speakers to tho difficulty tho ordinary pmchaßor bad to ' detect locally-manufactured from imported goods, and the necessity for tho adoption of a label,'"Made in Now Zealand," was urged. The conference tb«n wont into committee, and the resulte will bo reported by tho delegates to tbe bodies represented by them. It'Wae resolved; "That this conference recommends as a palliative measure tho desirability of encouraging the greater consumption of Now Zealand-mado goods, and as a means to this end all goods made in New Zealand should be so branded. Having affirmed tho principle, as per foregoing 1 resolution, this conference thinks jt desirable that it should moot again a fortnight hence, and that four additional delegates bo invited from the Trades Council and. four , from tho association to , constitute the conference."

'/ CONCERT AT NAPIER. < - , Naplor, July 26. A concort in aid of the unemployed fund last night realised over £20.