UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 7, 9 January 1932, Page 12

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

JJTY COUNCIL DOES ITS SHARE

[WHAT OF OTHERS?

After the special meeting of the City Council yesterday afternoon, Councillor Semple asked the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop), who presided, whether anything could be done, more than was being done, towards employing the unemployed. The position was exceedingly serious.

• Mr. Hislop said that' he had only i-eturned to the city about an hour ' earlier, but he had already, ascertained the position regarding the number of men employed by the city^ For the ■week ending 9th January the council ■was employing 3000 men in the Engineer'a department, and 586 on. reserves, a total of 3586 men. No work was done by the Corporation during the preceding ■week, but for the week ending 26th December the Engineer's department employed 3003 men, and the Reserves 509, a total of 3512 men. This showed that last week 74 more men were employed 'than in the last week of the year just ■ ended, chiefly on' the reserves. Up to ' November the City Engineer's Department had been carrying only between 2000 and 2300 a month, so that if anything the work provided by the city had increased. "We are on with the money we decided to take from the Electric Lighting Department," said, Mr. Hislop, "until 31st March. I do not know how we ourselves can spend any more money, because we have not got it. The position may have got worse; I do not know, as I have not had time to find out yet. The other bodies may not be carrying so many men. We are'employing more men than we were." Councillor Semple: "To make matteis worse charitable aid has been cut down." The Mayor: '1 intend to go into the ■whole matter, but the figures show that we are employing rather more men than we were before." Councillor McKeen. said that while ■ the figures throughout the whole of the Dominion, showed a decline in unemployment, the numbers of unemployed were increasing in Wellington. In the five or ' six weeks before December, there were 600 additional1 names on the unemployed list, and he understood that the number was still increasing. That meant an increasing number who could :not be provided with work. Could not inquiries be made from the different " city departments with a view to finding work for the men who had no work at all? /' ■ .WHAT OF THE HARBOUR BOARD? Emphasising the seriousness of the position, Councillor McKeen said it was one on which, as a local'body, the council should express an opinion. Was the City Council to be called on. to provide all the work? What of the Harbour Board? It had works that could be done, and it should undertake its portion. He suggested that the Mayor should interview the chairman of the board, and see if it were not possible for the board to relieve the position. The council had had to take money from the Electric Lighting Department to find work, while the other was a body, that should assist in. some directionr (Councillors: "Hear, hear.")

Councillor Holm asked if the matter would not come up for full discussion at the next meeting.

The Mayor said that a report should .be fivailable on 4th February, ' when there would be a full discussion on it; meanwhile the ordinary work would be gone oii with.