MORAL STANDARDS MENACED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 745, 19 August 1929, Page 1

MORAL STANDARDS MENACED

Out-of-Work Women and Girls MEW aspect on unemployment “’THERE are serious consequences to unemployment among 1 women, especially young girls. They are driven into walks of life where their morality is undermined and at the present time there are hundreds of girls and women out of work in Auckland.

So said Mrs. M. J. Soljak, speaking w a deputation representing the Auckland Unemployment Committee, „ho waited upon the Minister o£ Public Works, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, t 0... ... The deputation was introduced hy Mr. M. J. Savage, M.P., who stressed the importance o£ instant relief'for the workless. "Numbers o£ married women whose husbands are unfit, many willows, and numberless girls are forced to look for work to keep themselves alive,” said Mrs Soljak. "The position is series We hear all about the unemployed m en but practically nothing about the women. It is useless to say that out-of-work girls should register at the Government Labour Bureau. They imply won’t do it. The whole atmosjhere o£ the place is against it, and, in any case, few people will go there to engage domestics. Something whould be done, and done at once, in the interests of women.” The speaker went on to say that yirls who were brought out to New Zealand under the Government scheme only added to the trouble by throwing more unemployed women cn the market.

“A year ago Mi*. Wallace, the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, said the hospital was being filled with women and children suffering from malnutrition. We cannot let this go on. Relief should be given and this aspect of the unemployment question should receive immediate consideration,” said Mrs. Soljak. “I think it a disgrace that in this 20th century a deputation should have to come before a Cabinet Minister.” to ask for something to be done about the unemployed,” said Mr. C. S. Morris, president of the Auckland Watersiders’ Union. "It is a standing disgrace to the Government today, or to any Government in power. They are not doing enough. Talk about the dawning of a new era! The mothers and fathers who reared us thought we were being reared for better days and times than this!” Unemployment was never so rife as today and hundreds of women and children were on the starvation line as had been pointed out by the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board. Mr. Bernard Martin said that a short time ago the Prime Minister had admitted the urgency of the problem in Wellington and had virtually admitted Government responsibility by placing 150 in work at once. If it was urgent in Wellington it was even more urgent here. In addition the Government had been making the position worse by discharging men from various departments and throwing them on to an already glutted labour market. Some system of transfer from one Government job to another should be started.

Mr. Savage said the cost of relief to the Hospital Board had been steadily mounting up year by year and asked that something be done by the Government to alleviate distress. “I am sorry there Is a necessity for such a deputation,” said the Minister. "£ thought the Government was catching up on the problem. I am sure they are doing so in the country and there is a marked improvement in the towns, though it is still serious enough. I don’t know of any Government departments putting off men except the Public Works Department, where it is unavoidable—” Voices: The P. and T! ‘‘The Government is being criticised and urged to economise,” continued the Minister. “If we are to do so we must put some men off. However, my own department is keeping works going that may not be economically sound, but relieve the situation, anyway. We hope to get reproductive works going shortly to absorb the surplus men. “As to the case of women workers, this has not been brought under my notice before and is probably confined to the big centres. Very few girls are willing to undertake domestic service, however, maintaining it is unattractive. Many of the women are filling men's positions in any case and causing a good deal of the trouble. They are getting more wages than the men in some cases.” Mrs. Soljak: The labourer is worthy of his hire!

The Minister: I’m not arguing about that. They are filling the positions very ably and efficiently. But the fact remains that that adds to unemployment.

A great many men would not go out to country work, said the Minister. “The reference made by Mr. Morris as to the Government not doing anything is a most unfair charge. It is totally unjustified. Since April last 902 men have been sent from Auckland to Government works; 570 have been placed with local bodies; 150 have been given work by the Public Works Department at Taumarunui, and the Forestry Department is undertaking the placing of a further 150 . Last April, 1,013 unemployed were registei'ed at the local bureau, and the number has now sunk to 850, so the position must be improving. My department can place 150 carefullyselected men on road work in the Taumarunui district very shortly.” The deputation then withdrew.