THE UNEMPLOYED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 189, 31 July 1908, Page 2

THE UNEMPLOYED.

By Telegraph.—Press Association, Cliristchureb, Last Nigh:

The buck of the unemployed difficulty seems to have been broken. There are no meetings in the Square, and the number of applicants for work at tire Labor Bureau has gone back to normal. This morning 21 men left for Broken River, out of 22 who had been supplied with passes. The Department has altogether placed over one hundred men on the Midland railway works during the past few weeks. The 20 men out of work at Kaiapoi, according to statements made on Tuesday, has been practically reduced to a cipher. The Salvation Army kept "open house" at the barracks in Christie street, the object being to assist men and women who were in distress owing to want of employment. The intention of Brigadi.'r Albislon and his ollieers was to give temporary assistance in the way of food supplies to those who represented that they required that help, and to mate enquiries into the cases with a view to giving further assistance if necessary. There was, however, no frenzied rush of applications for the, free dinners. The callers were mostly women whose distress was not caused through lack of employment, but

through the inability of their husbands through ill-health, or other causes, to

.work. The eases were enquired into by Stall-captain Sims, who is in charge, of the Cliristchurch corps, lie informed a Truth reporter that the cases referred to above were all that had come under the notice of the Army. The people concerned had not been mingled with the unemployed, but they bad come out purely on account of the oilers of assistance reported in the papers. Their dillieultk's were not caused by Scarcity' of work, and none of (hem were starving. If there had been any great distress there would have bevn many more applications for assistance. The Army did not intend to continue the

experiment any longer, as the day's operations showed that (here was practically no necessity for it. The few cases'which had been lvvealcd would be attended to, and necessary assistance given.