THE STATE OF LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 66, 11 December 1907, Page 4

THE STATE OF LABOUR

THE FOUR CITIES. WELLINGTON 1 Tradespeople hi' Wellington generaljVrejWt that good business has been last month (statßsvtJie;" LaboufjJoufjial "), while many trades report a ment, notably .dressmaking, milhnoryV-and. tailoring:' With'tho summer weather/and itheholidays coming on, there is ovot<y > prospcciV of this briskness continuing for some time." Tho building trades have been very busy, and all tradesmen' are fully employed. Con-" tractors are experiencing difficulty in getting enough hands to 'cfarjjJ iorit 8 Boohn,-iking.—This trade is very busy; plenty.'of. orders are;,coming inland all- hands are fully- employed.- ' koach building is not showing much improvement, although a fair trade is being done. It might be better for the time of' year. , /■ .v.-. - T - Dressnjakmg. js . exceßtionallj.- busy,. --A large anVdunt of' overtime is'- beingf worked', and employers are •'oxperieneing. great diffi- ■ ouity; ia.getting Tailoring' is : also 'very; busy,:'''aiicf-employers-ill this trade aro-.likewise,,experiencing difficulty in getting hands. There is every prospect of tho- briskness cofitiiiuihgT. for sonioi time., trade .ronEffiffias'.; dull-?' with little prospcct of, an' immediate im- , provom'Klt:-'>"? 0. .••'». rV'i'il': Furniture trade is fairly brisk, and all hands are fully employed. There is a little' • improvement, on tho .previous month.... Woollen-mjlls- are. -kept; busy, -.and -;th<! 1 employers'"iilake the" fisual couiplaint that tiiey 'cannot get hands." y , ' , Plumbing and gasfitting continues! fairly brisk, and all hands are kept busy. - Plastering.—This trade is very brisk, and employers- are- experioncing -difficulty- in -get--ting. competent men.. Painting trades aro also brisk, and there W ? vo^y::;l) rospect.\pf .-their~continuihg'so:.-;rr,'r~ •• Saddlery "is 'only" fair, and'Wot'so gobcl "aT ' might,',l)6 expected for the season of the year. Unskilled labour;— Work has been plentiful during..the past month, ; Inquiries ar? stiff being mado for, .experienced bus'hfeUers. and navvies for road contracts, and tho demand for far.ili labourers (milkers and ploughmen),, continues. Two steamfers: arrived, fronu'Oreiit' • during the period, bringing-a' large" ' numbe?;. of immigrants. Tho Department was' -Rucccsgttl in, placing the whole of.-the. .applK... cants \flth but few" exceptions. , One' Hundred : 'and. twenty-six'men with forty-seven depen- ■ dants lm v<v been found.employment on,.publicand private"W'brfcS;'

CHRISTCHURCH. , Trades' during the past montili* has' continued to improve in Christ-church. Retail traders generally appear satisfied with the volume of trade done, although, as usual, there is a '•complajiit of - the ." tightness;". o£. i; .n>oney,. which 'usually * obtai 11s before and after any holiday: season. . -Factories generally aro- verybusy, jjnd a lot of overtime has been worked in the'iclress'making, 'millinery, shirt-makings tailoring stock, Confectionery, and trades/ , . Complaints are general of the scarcity, of suitablo female workers, and.lnm- • dreds -of good "'female machinists and others' could-% placed. The 'Kaiapoi \Voollen-mill, Company had a serious lire; >'■ one-of tlic'ir largo Christchurch buildings being gutted. Fortuijhtely it was tho warehouse jfortion, and did- not throw'many,.'employees out of ■ work. premises were-at oncpand tho c.6s.tumeTniaking :i lidilds wofo accommodated nfefijicse jN&iuisnsj;' ; V/;jiifi]i be occupied for perhaps twelve months! when the company's new factory, tho contract for which : has just been lot for . oyer £30",00Q'," will be opmploted. The shearing season, being in has absorbed most _,of the surplus;j,:labour ' the Canterbury District,., and t }iaTO„tlic.ijii \;er'y few applicant's' utf' employment.- • ' Agricultural Implements.—Tho season is responsible for. tlio glackening-oft' of .trado. in, connection' witli : tlio" usual "farm■ implements* other than harvesting, machinery, and in tho case of the latter the trade' predict difficulty on account of the keen • competition in the import trade.. However, on most of the •.works' it is hoped to..keep. working full timo, making. up stqclc for nExt'-seiaso.iu' f . Boot-factories are busy, and considerable over-time lias been ivorkcd. There is still a scarcity of good female machinists.;, Building Trades.—Soveral':- contracts hayo been let'during the-pas't 'month, and builders and contractors are hopeful of continued prosperity. City Council issuedmits, covering ?i\lbans!: : Linwood, SydonK^n^and"'Siio.jcentral''. ; ahd. inner area of theicity/r/ Thei'Qvil alsorra'dbto'' number of buildings .beiriij" erected at' Add;,, ington and lii^i^n/-'#luclivare | .;4)atsidefJ;ol< > Greater Christchurch. '"''•' : "• " 1 "

Bricklayers have been fully , employed, except in one or Contracts:: were completed .-.'rind .several?.. 'men' .■ Had';;iff: wait for a day oz so before starting on a fresh job. There are now plenty of contracts let,, and .contractors for men. " " - ■ Carpenters.—Very busy indeed. No good men unemployed, and contractors are complaining'of the scarcity of, carpenters. Plasterers_.are.very - busy,.and_.there. is_.a., scarcity of good men. , Plumbers—Very. busy. All men fully, employed. _ Employcrs.' report' th'ey.'havc plejity of work in hand. Painters.—jVeryiibusy.'Good::mciK-unob-• tainable. : """ Stonemasons.—There have "been ' a fe\V stonemasons out of work , during - tho 'montlr - on account of several, contracts finishing, < and, so far as can bo gathered, hot ~much, stone work is coming ,on in tho future. -rvery ibrislr, ,siartiou« larly in repairing ana. painting aopartment.H Country orders are numerous,, and, are kept fully employed. . Motor-car Painting ancl Repairing.—Very brisk._ Employers find difficulty in coping with incoming; orders;,'.' ' ; ;;,"v ' Foundries General' Engineering;—jNot very mitch being. done. .in Christ-church. Moulding.—Very busy' indeed; several'.'good mouldors could he placed. Range-making.— Extremely busy, and difficulty is experienced in supplyihg^orders. Blacksmiths" are working full time. Engine-drivers.—Still a--number unemployed. ■■

Furniture: 1 Factory.—Keeping .vcry v _,busy in all departments. All :%ndg. wrking full' time. . "itotii.il.—A satisfactory' amount "of business done, ancl ithere >,appoai;s ,to *be>an increaso on last month.'" Freezing works • A;, has been.made with'tho sla'ughtoring, but' it is not anticipated ithat the .v/ork's'will ; be in fulL'Swirig until' after' 4 Christmas;".: except in tho..r-artifleial:'miXniirei department, 1 where a big trade is being done. ";r- ---' Saddle and' I 'Harness-inakirfg.- L rAn '< improvement shown over' last month," and full ■' timo being worked: ■ Leather ■ Bag-making.—Employers -' roport that plenty of orders are in hanfr,'arid consequently full time is being worked. Saw-milling.—A ■ slight", improvement,. js noticeable in this! trade, and full timo is being worked, principally oil moulding and planing machines.-"V -" Cycle Trade—This trade is improving, but it is hardly up to former years. Clothing Trades. —Factories (tailoring) are still busy, and a lot of overtinio has been worked; good female . machinists wanted. Tailoring (order). — Slight falling-oil in volume of trade since'last month, but Christmas orders ,ai:o. again coming,in, , Overtinio has been worked in soitie wbi-kiooms. Shirtmaking.—Quito lip to tho normal, and good female machinists arc still wanted. Dressmaking.—Very busy; 'quiti' a lot of 1 overtinio has been worked during tho month. Millinery.—Rather busy, and quito up to former ..years. ■' • '■ . ' .y. Grocery is 4 on, the impravq,'. and large Christinas orders are coming in" from the country, but. several shopkeepers report that money is " tight." Printing Trado. —Working \fiilj '" time"' irt printing offices. . Woollen Milling:—All .'haiids'.'4'r'e fully employed, and. sonib oyCrtime n'as worked duringVthevphst mOnthi 4 liiisk'illed Labour. —There is a noticeable falling-o(F in the number of callcrs. All eood men appear to have secured work.

jyjaiiy of them, no doubt, have gone to the ;C'ounti;y, where work is plentiful. During the month fivo married men, with twelve dependants, six single men wore as;sistpqS; '£!

i AUCKIiAND. • -There is practically no change in tho industrial conditions in Auckland from tho i last month j factories are all busy. Tho retail 'trado,-is; .fully up to the standard of former: years,. ajictWhera havo been no complaints. _■ ■ .-/•■dJuilding■-Trado'. u *£Fhis trado is very active, - andofronir-nlU' appearances will contiiuie so ' .fori£olW/tuliLvH)nc£by one tho old buildings "ai'o:;hji3i')!S;rp*ulliJdi'do\vii and substantial up-to-date buildings are taking their places, and, as evidence of tho necessity for tho better class of building, shops aro being stocked and occupied before they aro out of the build</,l'if iKtifiilfcv '-'A'l competent men in 'tho trade are employed except a fow painters. Altogether, the building trade is in a very satisTactqry'condition. ol ' ' v. The; engineering. trade is in a normal con r dition. Shops aro woyjiing full-handed, but there is no pressure of work. •-■-The boot trado is busy in all departments, and the employers coinplain of tho difficulty they experience girls to loam the trade .as..machinists. A, considerable amount 1 of ovSrtirilo is in consequence of tliq .difficulty .in obtaining machinists. Clothing Trade'.—Factories are very busy in all of the clothing trado, especially 'so iii the-sliirtmaking branch. The employers still complain of the difficulty they 'experience iu 'obtaining-suitable machinists. ;Order tailoring, is very good, and over--tiine is being--worked-'fn- almost all shops and .factories. ... Df-bss'iiiaKing 1 ' nii'cF 'millinery are busy, and working ovortime. Ciimage-buildors are busy. No competent moil .out of ,work, but r jio extra demand for -iijen;": Furniture trade'is iii a very satisfactory T(ipre is an opening for two I good inon. Tho French-polishing branch is at present over-manned. Boat-building is very brisk, this being the busy season for small-pleasure boats, etc. Saddle and harness making is in n normal condition. good business is domgTn all of retail trade. The genoral activity is very noticeable when approaching, .closing tijno, especially on Saturday ni£hts."" t ;.,Sho'p-k6epcrs say trade is very good, and there, are no complaints of shortness of cash.J^alipur—The conditions of this -6rano.il of'tlio_ tlqpartrttcfiital work is satisfac♦toiyVV;®lio (Monlty is to got enough inen ' to' satisfy the "demand. One hundred havo been assisted during the period under review—viz., 15 married; and 106 single men, of whom 38 were sont-to -pr-iyat® wnploypient.

-DUMIDIN. Contrary tb.. expectation, the general tono of' business-'ln' 'Dunedin during tho past mqntli l lias been exceedingly quiet. The -falling-off in business has been attributed to tho fact that in many of tho every-day Jincs of and ' family necessities 'there hasn.bceni-aK'.Mcrcase in tho cost, which,,;.ha.s',.:bad", a. ycry pronounced elfcct on th'e sending' power of -the ordinary wprkiii;* man. All classes of workers have time, and all appear to have been fairly well omployed; cvon thoso outsidq have not been interfered with by bad ••weather.- -Inquiries for unskilled labourers have been numerous, and in some instances "difficulty ''hi\s in obtaining suitable men. . Agricultural' Implement Manufacturing.— All hands have been kept' going full time. Orders have Ijccn coming in for- seasonable goods.' Tlicre'i'lms Hfoo.iho decrease in tho number of employees::, Prospects of continued busincss I 'iiiSp i ciil i 'very good. . Carpenters are experiencing a slight dull-<noss-at' Wio-> present time. Nevertheless, all competent -men are employed. Tho prospects are looked 011 as excellent as from tho ,of'?ttio year. - Bribkmal;isrß' v aro i .very ' busy, and should 'edlitinW so" for" some* months. Several large contracts are just c;u tho eve of starting, and the indications arc that tlio supply of ! iii.b'piji^-in- r .thi§"-lino-fW-iil ■ be, considerably below the demand. "

Plasterers. —This branch of tho building trado is rather slack at tlio present time, for the same reason as carpenters, and they are likely to remain so until about January, /when the trade should again improve. At Hno i; present time are out of employment. J p;?:;.*, Painters. —This "industry is brisk, and 110 good men arof out .dKwork. During tho month tliero have been very much difficult,V'-ih/jilyijiittg several tradesmen. .Purniture .Tradd:£jKj[> .interested are fully omployed, and will 'cuiJltimioV so for the next few months. The period has been •a decided improremttfifc oil "'tho past ten or 'twelve weeks. *I',: . - Tinsmiths.-i-Exccpt special linos, such Jns tho 'manufacture ,15f ''dairying-matc.'als, trade is not':, very gojkl; - nevertheless,' all hands have been kept going through the . month.- ,'\ if s Coachbnildingi—Although 110 tangible reason can be-givpn, a slackness exists in all branches of this business. Usually at this tho year 'an improvement can bo Tooketl 'forward to, bii't the past month has been exceptionally bad, and, as a consequence, there are a fow operatives idle. Plumbers.—Trade is steady, and the outlook is of a .promising character. All tradesnieii" aro "employed," ami 110 {;reat difficulty would .be.experienced in placing a few com■petont' xSvcrkers.'*"";. ..

' " exception of ono or .two smalj contracts there is absolutely ancl almost the t.hV'Op_eniti)f£§.. are idle. „. Trqdo is not good in any of the mills, though the hands are, kept '•gofiig"'full 'time," tfi'e 'prospect is hot very brigbt/ICliosiiibly ,'ilbuUtl' the beginning of the tJiTO may be lookod; foiV' M etc. —With • the •'th.i; manufacturing of gortmantcaux '.ind'-trav'elling-bags, etc., business has ..beGa-vflvy-qtiict during the mouth. In the lines mentioned there has been fairly good .>isine.,v, men are actually ydlc, buk|thiire -is" very'- little opportunity of placing journeymen in any branch of this ;>iulußtty.-.r;-v?.-xz ; f '• JiMgin'eeringM-Notwithstanding tho fact official report states that trade has been'good during' tho past month, it is easily discernible that the industry is not as it should be,, and while it may bo possible to pfaco" a row first-class iron-turners and blacksmiths, there is a deeded dullness prevailing throughout almost all branches of ; Clotliiiig-mamifactui'c continues busy, *aud 'every advantage is taken to overtake ordors.'S'There i 3 still a good demand for almost -ivory class of skilled workers. ... ' j3oot_-raainifacturing;-H)uring the month thore has been a slight improvement in the tin-novel', which, however, is not considered Mi be 'bi' artv.^njeiinsl,satisfactory, and there is littltj-'prospect; of; tho trade making very much headway until, perhaps, well into the Newt X'par. . Dressmaking and 'millinery.— All classes of workers are'-vory-lifiSy. In some instances thero is-a^,good demand for competont workers. ■}, I V- .'•■ ' Hosiery trade,—Pair business doing, and the turnover' compares favourably with the same period.,last yc'a'r. !• ■ Shop',.tailoring.—Good business doing, but the return^so,,far-are. not quite so good as they wore ..last year; .nevertheless, all hands are employed,, and,: it .is believed that good operative!,' 'Would ea'sily find suitable places in almost any-'branch. (Country workers. —There has boon good demand .for ail classes of labourers, and during the month work was found for almost double -the 'number of hands placed during tho previous period; it is almost safe to assert ~that there should not be any necessity 'jor able-bodied mon to be out of employment at;'tho present time if thoyare willing~:'to go. into country 'districts, where a. variety of' laboujr itself at this ;timc of'thoycnr-.W-. ' "During jUiei-month. tho number of applicants for assistance was 115; of tlieso twelve wpro placode with'those in charge of tho Government raihvay-works, and fifty-eight were placed .with; private employers.

: A reccijt meeting of the Lambeth Board of Guardians:' 'deciaedT'to purchase fiOlb's.* nf simlf and 8791b5. of tobacco for tho use of the paupers during the coming half ypar.