UNEMPLOYMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19997, 14 January 1927, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT.

ACUTE IN AUCKLAND. EQUAL TO WORST PERIOD. (Special to Daili Times.) AUCKLAND, January 15. From the chief centres of the Dominion reports are to hand of much unemployment. It was hoped that with the New Year the acute position which obtained during last winter would show considerable improvement, and that the hardships endured by hundreds of workers would be forgotten in the brighter times | to come, but apparently there is no imI provement, and from inquiries made to-day 1 the outlook in Auckland is not at all promising. Just before Christmas the number of applicants for employment on the waiting list of the Labour. Department dropped a couple of hundred. This was expected as few men would expect to get work daring the holidays, but with the New Year entered upon the numbers began to mount up again, and to-day the list cf unemployed is almost in keeping with the worst period of last winter. As has been the case all along the list at the Labour Department’s office does not include returned soldiers or engineers, fitters and turners, of whom, says the Star, there are about 500 out of wors, and all told there are at least 1000 men now seeking jobs. So far there has been no announcement by the Government of opening un public works to provide for the unemployed, but the opinion is that the position will have to be considered at an early date. Mr T. Bloodworth, secretary of the Carpenters’ Union, states; “Sine© the holidays I have had at least 20 boys call on me wanting to get into the building trade, but I do not know a single builder wanting an apprentice. This no doubt is partly due to the trade being so slack. At the present time there are at least 100 journeymen carpenters out of employment. Among them are some of the best tradesmen in the country. I have never known the trade to be so bad at this time of the year, and that being the position now, what may we expect for the winter?” RELIEF AT CHRISTCHURCH. COMMITTEE PROVIDES FUNDS. (Pee United Phess Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 13. Owing to the unemployment position in Christchurch having become again acute, 196 unemployed being registered, the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee, which i had ceased to function some time ago, /was called together again to-day and decided that the £l3O still remaining in the fund be handed to the Reserves Committee of the City Council for the purpose of providing immediate relief. ALLEGATIONS OF LOAFING. A CHRISTCHURCH DISCUSSION. CRITICISM OF WORKERS. (Special to Dails Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 13. “It is easy for men who have not used a pick and shovel to criticise the work of those who have,” said Mr H. Worrall at the meeting of the Executive of the Citizens’ Unemployment Committee to-day. “If such men had hold of a pick for five or 10 minutes they would find it a different matter.” These remarks were m reply to Mr R. B. Owen, who criticised some of the men whom the committee had put on relief work. Mr Owen said that there was no question about it. Three of the committee had had a deputation from "professional unemployed” the other day. These men should be shown that the city was tired of them.” I saw one of them working near the City Council Chambers the other day,” continued Mr Owen. “These men, who live by their wits, must be shown that the city expects value for value. On the amount o( work some of_ the men did I estimate that they were paid at the rate of £2 10s a day.” Mr Worrall said that there had been no adverse reports from the foreman oyer the men. Workmen who were not satisfactory were discharged. “The formau did it, too, * said th 6 chairman (Mr E. H. Andrews). "It is all •bunkum’ for Mr Worrall to say that some men working last winter were not loafers,’ said Mr Owen. “They were not regular unemployed at all,” said the chairman. "They were members of a gang.” “We have £l5O to spend on providing work,” Mr A Drayton reminded the meeting. . . The reminder had its effect, for the argument was dropped.