UNEMPLOYMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1931, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT

WELLINGTON UNEMPLOYED. DEMONSTRATIONS ORGANISED. (By Telegraph—Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, January 15 Among many other decisions arrived at at a mass meeting of workers held in the Trades Hall this evening, was one by which all off the woriiers employed on certain City Council works for three hours a day, in return lor bed and meals, refused to go to work to-morrow. They are to draw ill ail of the other men employed on these works who were not at the meeting this evening, and at 2.130 to-morrow afternoon, they are to assemble at the Hospital'and to demand the same sustenance that they would have received from the Charitable Aid Board had they worked during the day. Another resolution passed provides ifor another meeting to be held on Sunday to make arrangements for the demonstration of the unemployed on Tuesday, when the Prime Minister returns to New Zealand.

y. On J anuary 23rd. also, - the unemployed are to attend the Magistrate's Court in force, when some prisoners who are coming up on similar ehargesthose sentenced just before Christmas, will appear. A letter is to lie written to the Minister, of Justice', demanding their immediate release. ,'S. Easily six hundred people were present this evening. The hall was I'uii To:overflowing, and numbers ..'of men crowded at the doors, stood round the walls, and sat on the floor . immediately ■in front of the platform. - .. J.

-- There were a number of women in the audience, some of whom took part in the general debate. The chairman, Mr J. Stanford, had difficulty in keeping order at times, owing to interjections and a general uproar caused by two and more speakers trying to address the audience at the same time.

TJie meeting resolved itself into an - “Unemployed Organisation Movement,’’ and elected a committee of fifteen to act as an Executive. This 'Committed was/given a series of “demands’’ . fpr attention, but its first “job” is the handling off the demonstration. at the hospital to-morrow afternoon, for which it made what arrangement it could after the main meeting closed.

f A REVOLUTION. ; AT PORT DARWIN. DARWIN, January 15. The militant section of the unemployed here have made several threats lately of starting a revolution. They have now fixed the date of their outbreak for Monday, January 19. The steamer “Marcella” arrives on that day. Most of the residents treat the matter as a crude joke.

REQUEST TO CABINET

NELSON, January 15

A meeting of the dismissed railway .workers was held to-day at-Owen. Tiie following resolution, which is to/ ;be sent to the Hon. Mr Ransom, was carried :

“That we (some 2(50 men) respectfully .urge that your Government continues with the Midland Railway, or failing this, immediately find work for all of the men recently discharged, wiio are still in the vicinity, or. are in dire need of work, due entirely to these men not haying received word of their dismissal prior to Christmas, instead oi which they, as you know, were' dismissed immediately on;their 1 return to work on the 7th of January. The position of. two stores, here and at Gowan, is so acute that they perforce are unable to refuse, to give the .men any further-: credit, which means destitution. These are the facts. There are here on works 75 married men with an average of four children. Failing named i ate assistance from your . Govern--! ’merit, the moral aspect enters largely into these people’s lives, turned out on the road homeless and penniless. AYe refrain, however, from any comment on your Government’s policy—and approved policy, pledged to the people, on which ■■your party was placed in power—re this railway.”

RAILWAY WORKERS SUED. MAGISTRATE REFUSES ORDERS. W AFRO A, January 15. Several judgment summonses were heard at the local Court to-day against workers who were put off the Waiko-kopu-Gisborne railway construction works.

( Mr Harper, the Magistrate, adjourned the .summonses for two months. He emphatically refused to make any orders until the- men have been re-em-ployed. Mr Harper said that the’ Government’s action came as bombshell to the workers, and the storekeepers were faced with, heavy losses. Although Ins sympathies were with the business men he thought that, as the workers had been suddenly deprived of their means of livelihood, their last pay would not go very far unless they were again employed quickly. The. Government, he said, should he urged to find them other employment, and no orders woukl be made ip the meantime.

ACTION BY MR BLACK,, M.P. GOLD BONUS AND PROSPECTING URGED. MOTUEKA, January 15. Mr G. G. Black, M.P., lias received the following telegram from the workers of the .Midland railway, at Owen river and other camps:— “We (some two hundred men), respectfully urge that your Government continues wit lillie Midland railway. or failing this, immediately finds work for all of the men recently discharged, who are .still in the vicinity in dire need of work, due entirely to these men not having received word of dismissal prior to Christmas, instead o>l which, they, as you know, were dismissed immediately on their return to work on the oth of January.” The message concludes in terms' similar to the one sent'to the Acting Prime Minister., In addition a copy is being also sent to the lion. Mr Atmore, Minister of Education, and member for Nelson. The Member for Motueka, has communicated on the matter with the Acting-Prime Alinister, and states that the message further confirms the previous information forwarded by himself and • the'-Nelson Progress League. Mr Black again asks licit immediate work be found. Mr 131 nek lias telegraphed the-Min-ister of :Mines, asking when' the matter off a bonus on gold production which was favourably considered and recommended by the Goldfields and -Mines Committee; of which lie was chairman,' 1 ' is- to lie considered by Cabinet. "• ■' "

The member for .Motueka has been advised by the Hon. Mr Murdoch as follows : “Considerable 'data Ices already been obtained re payment of the' bonus. lam waiting for further information from Australia, on receipt of which, the matter will be considered by Cabinet. Mr Black also asked the Minister whether or not, the prospecting scheme had been finalised by the Unciii ployineid Board. The Minister o'l Mines advises:— “! have already discussed the prospecting scheme with the members of the Unemployment Relief Board, and I am still In touch with them.. . I.hope to finalise matters soon.”