THE UNEMPLOYED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1469, 18 June 1912, Page 4

THE UNEMPLOYED.

.. iliy.. Tfleirrksn:—Special/Correspondent.);:.' !'_._- ! "'vK^'-! f .{;';j l C[jristchurch',| : -Juno' i;iTliojuneinpl6^hieht'(|iiestion, as ; 'il; is'at ;^??G»t : y:Scnniiot !; 'b6 called "'very } serious, •ihpisecretniies of : 't!ie Labour unioiis who nv-ero-.-.f|Uestio'n''ed;".by:.a reporter this mcrn-.in^sliitedy-hat-recently-; work, at a Jew ..larfi'o.?jpbs'abo'u'fc' : tho.:,city./had-, been crm-picte'd.-jiuidi's'q-fa'r.'no ii'ew- eon tracts of any {sta-had;. fjeaiiistartcdi'-rsThe.; secretary of jfhe'^GeneratJjLabourern^Union'-said 'that iiivjliis-esti'nia'tioii-'fi-o'hv 6rie:-hnndred to one 'hundred; and; twenty labourers yvero:;i(llo;i]teCh'ristchurchV ; ,«'Portions - of ;ithe. tramway.;'construction, work had. been '^finished,':andttenders were 'onlv- being call-*ed-.:fp!.,?.tho:i.ext>;port!oii: ".'Consequently ■thoarieiiSt.isa-; looked, to. these works for .employineiikltad; : at: present.nothing to do. ;Most.:qt\.them.w,cre:hum-icd men, and they „woro'-'.hot.-iif a. position: to go' into the 'cqimtrys.and.Uookrf'fon'.work; .".The , fifty .men:: affected/by/the '.cessation-, of 1 . the '-.lleathcqto .County;.:Couhoirs contract were : for. : the.-.most part ! 'e!dei-ly. For them niifl ..tlisiiv wives;nnd-. children tho position was •.really;serious.-.There .wero many labourers ■ iit'Chfistchurch at the present.time whose {employment';'was', only .'casual.-.'Even then :,the,,.wet-i weather .so interfered with opera;,thenu did not. cam .morejth.auv.24s. a' .week, j To pay' rent and fkcip'Ja'i'svifei.andltwoior-. three' children on ;Suel>/a/pitfance' seemed; impossible,. but labourers >wli'o' i '.'bften{'were'jffaced;-'with such ■ a task. 'rhe.re>sljould' betsqmo system; under which {in"e]i;'\\;qisld; be;gua_i ; -anteed .periuanent. v.'ork.so/that',':iu7tliq:.'Worst..season of."the'year .'.tlieirV{w i i'y^^ohd' : 'j.eliildren , ;'*'sh6uld;iiot'.. b? '■c6jhpollDd'.tcf : :fe9l\;('lie.-fpincli:Of.; poverty.'?;'