THE UNEMPLOYED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 577, 4 August 1909, Page 8

THE UNEMPLOYED.

KNIGHTS OF THE SPADE, PREFERENCE TO THE MARRIED. . The batch of twenty-five men who complete their week's-,term on the Wadestpwn road tonight hate made- excellent progress with the tsusk sot them of widening the .road. About f GftV has been- taken off several of the corners ] —a heavy job'when tho height of the banks ( - and' the nature of the metal is considered. Tho spoil removed from tho corners has been c used to.straighten,various bonds in the road. ] The widening of the road will make work for ( tho Telegraph Department, several of tho ( telegraph poles which formerly stood at the edgo of the roan now standing .well out in , the street, from whioh position they, will no. j doubt be shifted. Now gangs will'be placed :on the Victoria College and the Mount Victoria works this 1 morning. Tho gangs' employed : on these works: during the past, week, and'the tree- 1 planters, will divide about £220, in: wages Good progress on the Constable Streetittount Victoria road continues, the men yesterday having got well past the point of the' hill under, which the Kilbirnie tunael passes. It is understood that;the road,will'bo continued past the signal station, so as to connect with tho Hataitai Road, but the, exact route has not yet been determined./ A batcfrof five men' raadc-'a- start at son Bark yesterday afternoon' doing preliminary, work which will enable the'other twenty men to turn. to-morrow morn-mg. ' 'When the Anderson Park gang is'working, .the Relief Committee, .will. have' provided for' 340 men', since' the relief works '■ first started. The gully belonging to the Hospital' Trustees, and. adjacent /to'--Victoria',College, has now been i filled, and-the balance of the spoil which is being: removed from, the college, grounds, is-being tipped into the gully.at the.southern end of .Kelburne,Park. - ' The carpenters employed on-the top floor of -the : .Victoria ;College -building have completed | the large lectyre room, :; which; has been completely lined,'; and is now in the 1 hands of.the painters. .The-second room is now being lined. A start has been made with the'foundations for the new dressing sheds are. to ■ erected by. the City Council at Kelburne , Park. • ' ' - SUBSCRIPTIONS.' < ' 1 The- following additional"' subscriptions, which bring tho total to date up to £1560,' are acknowledged by Mr. Geo. Willis, seore-' ' tarv'of'the;Relief Committee:— -, £.8. d. ' St. Mark's Church ... ... ... .38 4, 9, St. Thomas's Church ... 1.. •.7 9 2 Trinity Wesleyan Church ,3. -2 0 -. Electrical Workers' Union • ... 312 0 j ' The Shopkeepers' Association -is uniting, with, ,' the Garnsori Band in proinoting -a concert, „to, i- be,held in the -Town Hall (which, has-been granted free of .charge),' in aid of the' Unemployed Fund'. Tableaux ,will be'-a fea- • turo of the . programme,/', which; will -' be; ar-, :■ ranged .by members of the association'.'/.

. ——, it CO-OPERATIVE WORKS r

• AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. ..... ? I . (By Telegraph—Press 1 Association.) .0 - Ghrlst'church, August 2. ® An interesting discussion: took place to- 11 day between, the Hon.R. M'lConzio, Minister. forPubHc Works, .and. a deputation; re- - ganiing. the,- preference .given t .to .married men,, . witli ■ selections, inado from the rauks of the unemployed •; men, ■ for.: co-operative j railway worts., The. discussion-was on the p general • principle^of ; preference, t,.but had r special. application ■to Broken River. ~. ~- c ' Mr. :Paterson,., secretary ,of the General: Labourers' ■ TJjpion, \ stated,.and,. the, Minister confirmed .the:.,statement,,,that ; the .ofjicer - in 1 : charge,' of ; the' labourcPpparijinent, selected. • inarried :.men_ ' for ; co-operative railway : works. ;In iiia .the 'Laboiir, Bureau, made .-a, ;big X mistake;,' in". doing.'.'i a fk; !o 'tfie'works? bould riot- parri"sufficient. to.,kee]}, 1 themselves, and: their.' wives arid families, in. : t Christchuroh'. : .The. effect 'of,':preference was 'J toileave the single men in the city. If single ( men : . Were sent awayto-.the works, tn? mar- . ried menwould' be;, left, where their' homes ( were, and would.get all'.work', offered, by tho public, bodies,'aiid. the Citizens', Committee., j The'Minister'roplied ;tbat'! tha,Department i acted-' for'ithd best-iin'giving .preference. . If 1 they, had; sent single' men, the "married merii J would have come along with the; complaint' i that they' had', the first, claim to ( employm«it.v 1 When'a.'inah had . eight,or v 'ten of a family ' he - should . get' the; first 1 ;show;, of any. . work' i to'be.got'. , SyigleVmen could shift for. them- ; 'selves;','much fetter, than, ;a - : man. ; with . a family."- ". ■ : .V ' V/. , . •'Mr.- Pa;terson ! 'said : the point; ; was that mar;, j ried men could 'not make' enoilgli :to; keep; themselves and tjheir. homes; in ,Christchurch. . '' .The Minister 'said'.that: every. possible, provision.''was made; for' married men • at tlie ; XvorkS,/aud> there were 'hundreds'of -them on the" works- now.'/."They;,.received .two '.tent's ■ if they had -'their wives; and families, on the works.' v . ~ i Mr.' Paterson;"said that there-.were plenty, ' of single men anxious •to go to the works, lie Labour Bureau.could not get sufficient married merij but they . would not send single ■men. i, . ' • v ,; v ... ! ; The .Minister rejoined, that; there wasy a 'limit toi the number 'of. men /who could be. ; employed.. '-He' couldhquite"'undc'rstand that. . ; a.niarrie'd" man'.with 1 a .home' in .town' would, : - not want'to'go te, the; country,'for: work. ■ Mr:'Daveyi M.P.: Is there hot: a'.sufficient ' number 'of -niarned. men unemployed .to fill ' the places .iu ; town and Broken. . River, too ?„; Mr. Paterson. replied' that ,'married..'men ' would' get 'work jn town 'if. 1 singlo ipeai were', 1 sent to Broken Riveri , ; •. .. ■ v !• :MrV M'Kenzie'said it was. no use sending !, men to works if they.-wero not : prepared ,to, stop, there. " Their experience* ' had been that;-many.'men left: the. works.. ; ; !'Mr.- Taylor, M.P., said that quite recently 'h'e'. had seen, four or five men who.'had been working'on the Broken 'River contract. They ' had averaged 12sl a'day, which was: a vOry • good wage; -'. i'':v;:, .-:\ : ; ; There, was a short; discussion' on', the'sys- ■ , 'tern'.of-' payment of. co-operative workers, : the Minister explained the alterations which c> bad been made. ■ .In reply..'to Mr. Paterson, who spoke of the ' difficulty, some married meu, had experienced getting an ocoasional /payment when 'applied for 1 : at the- end of • a fortnight, ; the j Minister, said that the, engineer always had > authority to make advances up to £3. ' Sir..Paterson:.There were not many mado: ■ The Minister: The. trouble was that it was abused. _ In some cakes orders were given to publicans:; In' one 1 case I . heard of . a publican charging interest on ordors. I, had to put a stop to.thati >' v ' Mr/ .Patefson c lVe want' married men to be able to draw in a week or. ten days. ■ ; The\Minister : So he can, if-there,is anything 'coming to him. : ;You' must recognise that we 1 have some very difficult characters to deal i with on these' works,' and therefore we must have some stringent rules." ■