UNCONVINCING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 315, 31 August 1932, Page 4

UNCONVINCING

The considered statement made by the chairman of the Unemployment Board (Mr. J. S. Jessep) when stating the attitude of the board toward the single men discharged from the Kaingaroa Plainis forestry camp, will not increase public estimation of its policy. Mr. Jessep, after declaring that the board did not propose to take .any action in regard to the men, said that "they had been well found in food, firewood and shelter and had been receiving a certain amount of cash." These facts were not denied by the men but Mr. Jessep has avoided any reference to the clothing in which, for lack of anything better, they were compelled to work. This has been the point at issue throughout, and the fact that the chairman ofthe- board has ignored it in orde** to emphasise points already admitted, does not reflect favour-' ably upon the sincerity of his statement. But from this, Mr. Jessep went on to say that "there were plenty of citizens among those providing the money for this relief who were themselves in little better case." It is gratifying to learn that the chairman of the board appreciates this position, but the fact that he was appyarently prepared to allow the additional burden of the men's support to fall upon i Rotorua or some other communi ity, does not commend his sense j of logic. The citizens of Rotorua, | a number of them admittedly, "in little better case," are already contributing to the unemployment funds in common with every other community in New Zealand, but apparentl'y it was in keeping with Mr. Jessep's sense of the fitness of things that they should in addition be saddled with the burden of these extra men. We understand that the majority of the discharged gang have now left Rotorua, the greater number on foot and with very little to carry them on their way. This undoubtedly removes a burden from Rotorua but merely places it somewhere else. Men roaming the country districts without money or prospects are likely to prove a menace to themselves and a nuisance to the farming community, already pestered by the more or less hopeless procession of men in search of work. Mr. Jessep concluded his statement with these words : "If the men who had caused the trouble chose to deliberately turn down the relief provided by their fellow citizens, the board could only accept it that they were in no great distress, and, as trustees of the fund, make the relief available to more deserving people." This undoubtedly sounds a most strong and disciplinary statement, but even for the sake of discipline, it can scarcely be justified. It is scareely fair to the men to state that "they deliberately turned down relief." They offered to go to any other camps named by the board or to return to Kaingaroa if suitalole clothing could be made available. The fact remains that whatever attitude the board adopts, unless the men find work they must eventually become a charge on their fellow citizens. The chairman of the board is merely indulging in sabre-rattl-ing, a practice which can only serve as an irritant. If the men must be disciplined, leaving them stranded and deprived even of the prospect of relief is not the way to carry it out. It is tactics such as this which give the extremist critics of the board, the excuse to talk about men being forced and dragooned to the board's will.