RELIEF PLAN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 473, 6 March 1933, Page 7

RELIEF PLAN

SYDNEY SCHEME formation of sewing DEPOTS serye two objects. UNEMPLOYED WOMEN. Within a few weelcs 12 Govermnent sewing depots will probably be establishcd in Sydney, serving the dual purpose of providing work for unemployed women and clothes for those in need, says the Sunday Sun. A Government sewing depot has been in operation in Castlereagh St. sinee June. Every weelc employment is given for 70 women, who are engag'ed on the roster system. About 500 garments are made and distributed to the women and children of the unemployed. On Tuesday a new depot will be opened ;at the North Sydney Town Hall. During the week another dep'ot will eommenee operations in the Waterloo district. Relief work for unemployed women will be extended in the Redfern, Alexandria, Botany, and Mascot districts. The Department of Labour is also moving for the establishment of similar depots at Bondi Junction, Kogarah, Parramatta and Burwood. It is expeeted that emplayment will be provided for 300 women every week at these depots. Those empl'oyed will not neeessarily be skilled seamstresses. They will be usefully empioyed — unpieking garments to be re-made, for example — and they will be taught tbe sewring art. The Minister for Labour (Mr. Dunningbam), who has taken a keen personal interest in the scheme, believes that the employment of these women nust hear good fruit in the home, and refleet itself on the community generally. Willing Teachers. "In recent years," he sa.id yesterday, "many of the economical arts praetised by our grandmothers were in grave danger of being forgotten but with the present changed cireumstanees it is eneouraging to find women coming forward to assist and teach their sisters in distress the secrets of making much out of little." How the "mueh out of little"-' idea is being put into practice may be gathered from a visit to the depot already established.

A supply of discarded army kit bags wras made available to the depot because of their unsuitability for distrition. They became trousers for small boys, the sort of trousers that will never wear out. It was found that the material when washed became quite servieeable, and, with a soft white shirt and tie also made at'th'e depot, became a very acceptable gift for a poor mother. Large black silk handkerchiefs — two at a time — were used in making tunics, and, with white blouses, provided attraetive and useful outfits for school girls. Navy Goods Used. A supply of canvas chair covering became rompers, and white pique top's to sailors' caps, new hut discarded to the Navy, were made into hats, and 150 of them found their way on to small heads by way of the Far West Children' s Health Scheme. Circular woollen comforters from the Navy were converted into children's jumper suits, and new, but damaged socks and stockings were repaired and distributed, or made into small singlets or used as cuttings in the making of pateliwork rugs. "The puhlic," says Mr. Dunningham, " "may rest assured that the clothing is distributed to genuinely necessitous cases. We are making arrangements to buy material from the manufacturers and wholesale houses I to carry on tbe work. The Singer ! Company has made available 20 sew- | ing maehines, and wTill provide more ! when required. ! "Splendid work is being done in the ! establishment of the depots by the National Council of Women, in which Mrs. Farquharson has played a leading part, and by loeal Women's IJnemployment Relief Committees. Mr. Dunningham added that he hoped very shortly to arrange for the extension of the work to eountry industrial eentres, particularly Newcastle, Maintland and the South Coast eoalfields.