LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 10, 7 October 1919, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

UNEMPLOYMENT AMONGST RETURNED SOLDIERS

Sir, —1 have had brought under my notice your so-called repudiation of my statement with regard to the number of returned soldiers who are linem],Toyed, You have quoted the figures of the Repatriation Department, and I wish to comment on them. The Department started the month with 87 unemployed, i received during the month 517 applications, placed in employment 399, leaving a, balanco of 235 "which the Department did not place. This 235 is explained away as follows:—79 still on the books as unemployed and J3B did not report, "presumably" having secured employment elsewhere— I say prc.sunial.Cy they did not, 'but got sick and tired of visiting this' Department and receiving one of those little pink notes which state that tho Department would lie pleased if you could placo tho bearer in ompf.oymciit, and as this goes on for a few days the bearer gels Bick of this kind of repatriation and so docs not report Again. A very large number which are placed in employment by the Department are only placed casually, and soon find that they are placed badly indeed; also remember that a vojy large number of returned soldiers do not visit tho Department. as it is not in odour with ,thcm. This is 'borne out in the fact that to make the figures look anything liko I decent the Department have had to striko 15G off this month as "presumably" secured employment. It would l>e very interesting to know what number vrcro struck off tho previous month to arrive at tho starting-point of 87. To-day there is a shortage in tho skilled trades. Tins is brought about, by the short-sighted policy of' employers in not paying decent wage to apprentices, and as we have a shortage in tho skilled trades, so we have a surplus in the unsk'ilSed trades. This surplus has been further added to by the policy of land aggregation, which has forced tho farm labourer into the cities. With regard to my statement I have had handed to mo the replies to several advertisements, all for positions under .£4 per week, and 231 applications were fromdiffererit returned soldiers. As this is the slack season as far as employment is concerned, and as I believe that T have a very good opportunity of gauging the labour market, the figure quoted by me (500), after taking alt the conditions info consideration, I believe to lib correct.—l am, etc., A.-L. MONTIETH.