Foxton’s Unemployed Demonstrate.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4543, 13 December 1930, Page 2

Foxton’s Unemployed Demonstrate.

DEPUTATION WAITS ON CHAIRMAN OF PALMERSTON NORTH HOSPITAL BOARD. WORK WANTED, NOT CHARITY. On Thursday afternoon, for the first time in the history of Foxton. a demonstration of unemployed was held when a deputation, said by the spokesman to comprise 178 men, waited on the chairman of the Palmerston North Hospital Board (Mr. J. K. Hornbiow) to ascertain what steps had been taken Ic provide work for those on the unemployed list in Foxton. At the conclusion of the meeting, which was quite orderly, a vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Hornbiow for what he had done to assist in alleviating the position.

The spokesman was Air. D. Ellwood who stall'd that- Hie deputation comprised 178 men with 300 dependants, only fifty of whom were single. They wanted work not charity, but unless they obtained something to do by Monday they would all he waiting on him for charitable aid. The men he represented had suffered for eight or nine months now and what they wanted to know was whether their children were going to he ealled on to suiter over Christmas. Christmas was only a few days off and the men had nothing to do. The Government had been quick enough to take the seven and sixpences from them Iml wore not as quick in dispensing relief. Air. ALeEwen: We pay and get no benefit. Other towns gel grants why not Foxton ? We'd better join the parson and not pay. Continuing Air. Ellwooil said they did not come with a view to issuing a throat hut they wanted to know when they would be able to get work. Air. Hornbiow said that as far as lie was concerned he had done his utmost to provide work for the men in his capacity as chairman of (he Palmerston North Hospital Hoard. He had attended conferences held in Wellington and Palmerston North to deal with unemployment- matters. He was not the Mayor of Foxton however, and was not actually conversant with what tlic Council was doing to assist. 1 fo was sure that that body was doing all in its power to relieve local unemployment however. He was aware of the position of the men, many of whom were not aide to pay their rate*. A voice: Or rent, even! HARBOUR BOA'RD ASSISTANCE. Continuing, Ah 1 . Hornbiow said that the position was unfortunate as tar as Foxton was concerned and if did not appear as if they could do anything to remedy it. At (lie conference in Palmerston N. it had been suggested that the Unemployment Board grant £750 to pul the Sanatorium Road through and the Harbour Board had pledged itself to find £250 of that ainounl to enable the grant to he made as expeditiously as possible, •hut despite the fact that the application had been made for the grant no reply, had been .received from the Board at the time of the meeting. MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL PREPARED TO ASSIST. The Alnn-awatu -County Council on its part was prepared to assist to relieve the position, said Mr. Hornbiow, and could absorb 10(1 men on highway work between Sorenson’s Corner and Sanson, blit it was . prevented Iron) doing anything because it could not get any money. The position of things in the llax industry was their business and ho did not want to discuss that •side of affair*. HOSPITAL BOARD HARD HIT. As far as the Palmerston North Hospital (Board was concerned, however, it was the hardest hit of all hut despite this fact lie was not going to see the women and children starve. There was not going to he one child in Foxton or elsewhere in the district that was going to want- for .sustenance. (Hear, hear). Alffiiv men had approached. him for assistance and none had been turned down. .STRAIGHT-OUT GRANT REFUSED. The 'Palmerston North Hospital Board had applied to the Unemployment Board for .CfiOO as a, slraiglitoul grant to carry out work necessary around the hospital. Together with the secretary he had gone to Wellington and endeavoured to obtain the grant. The Board had declined to make a straightout grant of £(500 however and the Board had not- yet- received any reply to a second letter sent urging the necessity for assistance. The Hospital Board was therefore left to cope with the position out of its own funds. When Hie estimates were prepared at the beginning of the year unemployment was anticipated but by no means to the exlent that was obtaining at present with the result that to-day the Board had exceeded Hie amount set aside for charitable aid relief by hundreds of pounds and it had to be remembered that the Board’s Government subsidy was not £2 for £1 but 10/0 for £l. They could rest assured however that no genuine ease would be turned down no matter where they had to get their money from. The Board was sure-, ly entitled to a free grant however from the Unemployment Board. Had the £OOO asked for been granted it had been his intention of drawing one third of the men required for the work, from Foxton, one third from Shannon and one third from Palmerston North. Air. Hornbiow said that he understood that the Borough Council had been asked to supply ten men for work outside” of the town. While he in "no way advised the men not to go to that relief work lie asked them to consider whether or not they would be better off employed for 10/- or 12/- locally. On out-

side relief work the men were called on to pay t-lieir own fares to the place and then they had, if married, to keep two homes going - . GETTING DESPERATE. Mr. J. Lnngdon said the local men were getting desperate. He was not threatening but he considered that the local men should adopt some of the tactics of the Christchurch men if they wanted to get anywhere. Some one was going to get it soon, he said. Afr. Ellwood referred to the fact that there was no Unemployment Committee set up locally to cooperate with the Unemployment Board. According to the figures published there were 80 unemployed in Palmerston North, lie said, while there were over a 100 in Foxton. Forty men had been selected from Palmerston North to go on relief work while it had been decided to draw ton from Foxton. There was something wrong soniewlier*. Air. A. J. Phillipps said that there, should have been an Unemployment committee set- up in Foxton to attend to local matters as had been done in other towns. THE WILLOW PLANTING JOB. Air. Ellwood said that when the willtow planting job had been offering at Poplar it had been stated that men would be put on from Foxton and Levin, but they had also been sent from Palmerston N. Air. H. -Rouse said that when the men had been selected for the job in the first place there had not been a Foxton man amongst them. Air Ellwood: And half of us paid our 7/0 into the bargain. We are taking things too quietly. An unemployment- committee had been set up in Foxton some time ago, he said, but it was not functioning. Wliv? ‘ ALIKE IT RED. Air. Langdon: Elect another one and make- it- as “red” as possible and Jet them shake things up. Afr. Hornbiow suggested that the Minister for Labour who was in Wanganui, he got in touch with and asked to meet the men. This was agreed to and Air. Hornbiow despatched the following telegram to the Minister, copies also being sent to the Acting-Prime Minister and Air. J. Linklater, ALP.:— i? “Large deputation -representing 178 unemployed in Foxton including 100 married men with over 300 dependants waited bn me to-day to ask assistance, in. putting , their case before ; yourself and the unemployment. Board. These - men want work not charity. Position is most, acute and I would urge that you visit Foxton this week to meet men’s representatives. Can you do anything to have work on Sanatorium road, authority for which is being sought by Foxton Harbour Board, commenced immediately.” COMMITTEE ELECTED. The election of Hie committee was then proceeded with and resulted as follows:—Messrs D. Ellwood, AfcEwen, T. Sim, 0. Dawson (representing the unemployed) and Messrs D. Bail and G. F. Smith (representing ’the business people). CANVASS FOR. CASUAL WORK. In the. evening the eoimmttee met at Air. ; G.' ‘F. Smith’s residence, when after deliberating for a short time it was decided to take some practical steps and a canvass of farmers in the Moutoa district was made with a view to obtaining tea- 1 sual work under the -No.-2 scheme. .The committee met-with a sympathetic response wherever it went, Air.. Smith -placing, his ear at the oisposal of the men.. SECOND DEMONSTRATION. () 1M (1!I XA L CO A LWITTEE CALLED ON TO RESIGN. COMMUNISTIC LITERATURE DISTRIBUTED. Yesterday afternoon a further demonstration was 'held in Alain Street- when upwards"of a hundred 'iii'ii assembled outside the Council Chambers"with a request to speak to flu*-Mayor. Prior to the meeting Mr. 'Sim, of Himatailgi, distributed a circular “issued by the Communist Party -of -New* Zealand” amongst; ■ the gathering;‘urging on the men to stop being driven to accept low wages,-'etc., and proposing ..a one-day-strike, demonstrations, etc. The local .mmf- however, .pa id lit tle attention 'to -. either the. distributor--off;the literature on the contents of.the phamphlet. . Tin.! .spokesiiian (AlioD. Ellwood) inf ormecl ■ Air.. Per re an that -<at the . in-ass,, meeting,, held,., t-h% previous day a committee had been set up to operate as Foxjton’s, Unemployment Committee in place of the one which had’been in operation during -the past' month or so. They wanted to know what the original committee had done to assist' matters. It- had started off all righfand then faded out. The speaker alleged also that fair treatment had not been measured out- to the men out of work. He further alleged- unfair treatment to Foxton men at the Labour Bureau in Palmerston North and said it appeared as if Foxton registrations were thrown in -the waste-paper basket. What was

wanted was a. Labour Bureau in Foxton. The Mayor traced .the history of the formation of the Unemployed * Committee which he said had been comprised of, three representatives of the unemployed and three representatives of the Foxton Borough Council with, himslf at the head while the Town Clerk had carried out the duties of secretary. The Council had allocated certain sums and had assisted as far as 'Subsidies had been obtained on this money and other sums, raised by contribution and .. v/ouks "carried out in the borough. „ .Only,the men in the most distres- . sed r .eireamstanc'es had been given employment but the men liad .their own representatives on the r 'committee who were there to see that fair play was observed. The committee had done its best by the men and with the money available ,and' he very much regretted that ’ there should be any dissatisfaction over the administration. The committee was at present, in touch with the Minister for Labour regarding the iso. 2 scheme, Mr. ,0. Dawson: How; long lias the committee been functioning:— About four months. Is it a fact that the allocation of the work towards the end was left to two Council employees?— Yes. Thero was little to do and no prospect of further money coming in. ' / Mr. O. Dawson: The old committee did nothing. It was too slow’ and its time it was disbanded. It’s up to it -to resign and let the committee elected yesterday take over. Mr. F. Shaw defended the original committee and said he for one would like to express his appreciation of the good work carried out by it. Because a few men didn’t get jobs when they thought they should, they wanted to- drop the committee. He for one had received a “fair go” and wanted to express his thanlks to the committee which had carried out a thankless job. The Mayor suggested that a public meeting be held on Monday night when the old committee could resign in favour of a new 7 one. Mr. H. Rouse: Sack the committee to-night. Mr. L. Sim (Himatangi) then addressed men and urged them to lake direct action which was the only thing to bring those in power to heel. • Mr. Perfeait argued with the men te he constitutional in the matter and leave any decision over until Monday night. Mr. 'Sim: W.e want something donte immediately or sustenance and the same rights for the single men as for the married. He moved that the committee be asked to resign. Mr. Rouse seconded and the motion was earned unanimously. Considerable argument then followed as to whether the committee elected the previous day to replace it was in order and for some time it looked as if there was going to be a split in the ranks of the unemployed. Arguments ensued and members of that committee said they were finished with the whole business a,s anything suggesting that the committee was not in order meant that the men w 7 ere turning' their 'executive down. Mr. J. K. Hornblow addressed Ihe meeting and urged the men not to quarrel amongst themselves but le stick together and allow 7 the committee they had decided on the previous day to -continue with power to add to its number. This was agreed to and one or, two new members were elected. It was then decided that the committee meet to discuss the position and these members adjourned to the Council Chambers. There were present Messrs M. E. Perreau, J. K. Hornblow, Sim, J. Langdon, D. Ball, McEweu, F. Shaw 7 , D. EllWood, 0. Dawson and the Town _ Clerk: ('Mr. W. Trueman). Mr. Perreau was elected chairman and Mr. Trueman, who had carried ont the duties of secretary to the original committee accepted the position again provided that the committee acted in a purely advisary capacity on this occasion. When lie explained the amount of work involved and the exact position of things the newly-elected members ■ found that they were in a no better position than the original com- • "mittee had been which had been called on to resign. It was decided to write to the Government nailing on it to form a Labour Bureau in Foxton as it was Considered impossible to work under the Palmerston North one: Mr. J. K. Hornblow announced that the grant had been made in ' connection with the Sanatorium Road and it w 7 as decided to recommend the Harbour Board to give consideration to employing single men as well as married men on this work as the single men were in a very distressed state. Mr. F. Shaw again referred to the good’ work earned out by the original committee and expressed his appreciation of their efforts on behalf of the unemployed paying . a special tribute to the work of the Town Clerk. The meeting then decided to adjourn until 2 p.m. on Saturday when it was arranged to confer with Mr. Lowden, of Palmerston North and the member for the district.