CUBE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. MINISTER'S SUGGESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 16

CUBE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT . MINISTER'S SUGGESTION.

i WELLINGTON, September 9. A very promising and practical method! of ensuring continuity of employment for many thousands of unskilled labourers lias, been devised by the Hon. B. M'Kenzie,. Minister of Public Works. Some of the. difficulty in connection with the unemployed ths winter was caused by the usual cassation of -work on road formation when, the weather became broken. The number of road workers reached record proportions last summer, and their dispersal when the grants became expended must, have enhanced the pressure of unemployment in the large centres to preserve more uniformity of employment all theyear round in future, Mr M'Kenzie has decided that in the- summerspecial attention will He. paid to the «xm~ struction of culverts on railway Toutes, and the carrying out of preliminary work", which will enable construction to advancein the winter without much delay throughbad weather. Road construction cannot, be so well done in the winter, and theMinister will consequently draft batches of co-operative labourers , to road, formation during the fine weather, and keepthem busy in the winter on railway construction instead of swelling the unemployed ranks in (he cities. "By using a. little judgment we will find no difficulty in keeping the men going all the time,' r remarked the Minster. "This is one of the advantages of combining the RoadsDepartment with the Public Works Department. We have the same engineers,, and I have only to say that 20 men are to be moved from the railway to a road woTk for it to be done without difficulty. It frequently- occurs that there are largeroad and railway undertakings in the same< district which can be worked togjether.'^ That the unemployed difficulty is over now is evident from the state of the public works. Mr M'Kenzie mentioned that 700 men were put on during the period of pressure about June last, but 600 menleft in July, and no good man need now be afraid that he cannot secure a place* on the railway construction works.

The reinduction of a Presbyterian 1 minister to a charge is a somewhat rareevent in New Zealand. The Rev. Mr Norrie previously ministered to the Coromandel charge for six years, but the bad • times in the mines caused the congregation to diminish till it could support only" a missionary. Mr Norrie was reinductei on August 25. Palmeraton North traders have been victimised lately by gilded farthings whichhave been put in circulation by some agile rogue (teJegraphs a Post correspondent) Two storekeepers were caught thi» way.