THE LABOUR MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 533, 14 June 1909, Page 5

THE LABOUR MARKET.

OFFICIAL REPORT FOR MAY. The "Journal of the Departnient of Labour," which was published last Saturday, summarises the position' in certain trades during the month ending May 31 as' follows:— ■'.■.' WELLINGTON. ' The detailed report in regard.to thisctiy states that trade during thp ■ month was fairly good, and in the building trades generally a decided improvement was shown, several large buildings being in course : of construction. Clothing trades had been fair, dressmaking being especially busy. Engineering trades had been doing fair business, and in other trades the amount of business done had been fair for the season of the year. Building trades:- Bricklaying fairly busy; several large jobs just starting; very few men out of work. Carpentering and joinery °kck, with sjgnsof improvement in the near future. The ■ foundations of several large contracts are well under way, and employment will shortly be found for a number of hands. Paiatmg fairly good, chiefly, in jobbing work: the painting of various Government. bufldHigs having provided work for a considerable number of men. Plastering fairly busy; there are no" hands out of employment. Plumbing and gasfitting fairly busy; all hands fully employed; employers express themselves satisfied with the stato ot trade for the season of the.year. Stone-

masonry, fairly, busy; all hands fully employed; : : . ■ ' ' ;'-.

Woodworking trades: Boxmakine good; factories working fpll time. Cabinetinakihg and upholstering still slack, with feint hopes of improvement. Coopering good, with every prospect of continuance. Sash and door factories still slack'; there hae been a shortening: of hands, and, in consequence, some factories are working 'fall, time.' S&wmilling very slack, and the outlook is not bright. A WooJturhing, etc.: Fair business.-is being done..' ■ Engineering trades: Boilermaking, . fairly busy; in some cases good trade is reported. Brass-• and 'copper-Bmithing fairly busy: an improvement, on last month is shown. Electrical fair'; shows a' slight improvement on last month. 'Titliiife and-turn-ing. fain 'Iron and brass moulding slack; in some cases hands have been ' put off. Rangeinaking—-Fair, trade is being done. ' Leather trades:'. Bootmaking: (factories) busy; all hands fully employed. Bootmaking . (ropair-shbps) rather slack. Saddlery and.harness-making fair; some factories report all hands working full time, others only' part tirne.-....-.-; .•:' ' ; . . , . . -. ... , . ... Clothing trades:'-Dressmaking very good: one, firm reports that it requires severaTgood hands. Millinery—Good business being done. ShirtmakiDg very slack. Tailoring (factories and order) fair. Woollen-milling very busy; all hands fully employed, and .working, overtime. .-. '. , "'.'., ;■ . Retail,trade's: Clothing, boots, drapery, and groceries—Fair business is being done for tnis.time of the year. . - '.. "', / -Printing trades: Bookbinding—Fair trade doing.—Printing rather slack; several men out of .employment. ... • ■ ■'■' , Meat-freezing, etc.: Tanning, ' currying, and fellmongering good; all hands working full time. Slaughtering, freezing, and preserving busy, especially so towards the end of tho month. ; . ' . ' ■', Ooachbuilding trades: Blacksmithing fairly good; no change from last month. Coach, carnage, and tram-car building fairly busy; factories kept;going chiofly on repair work.' '■'.'.'■ .- ' '■;■'■■. ■■'. .' " ' ' Cycle and motor trades: Motor sales very good; cycle-repairing quiet.' Unskilled labour: During the Mayperiod there was' littlo demand for unskilled laljburers. Priva'to employment was also not as freely offered as during the past three months, but there was a small demand for competent ploughmen. The co-operative works are now fully manned, and it, is not likely that.any men will be taken on. for some -time. About seven hundred men applied for work during tho month, and, of this number,. 182 were assisted, comprising the following tradesmen and others: Brick- , layersj cabinetmakers, carpenters, and joiners, books, coopers, farm hands, painters; hotel-workers,; station hands, and labourers. ■ • ■ ' . •'_■' . ■ ■ ;y Mother places. .-.■•-'■:■■'.•; Napier (including Hastings).—The, general tone of,retail trade has improved, but shopkeepers in- all .businesses complain, of 'tne scarcity of ready money.' The reports, gathered from travellers of the .various manufacturing' . houses show a' Bteady. improvement,'. "A fair amount of overtime is still being- worked by. tailors and . dressmakers.' It. is "pleasing to .report that:' the engineering trade shows 'signs; of improvement, arid, the.i building trade also ; shows further signs of ; activity;.. The ' fruit-preserving industry has now closed down after .a very good'season: . Very-few union men have registered their- names on the-various, employmentbooks. Few, if any, houses. are ; reported : to let in Napier or ; Hastings. . : •■,:

New- Plymouth^—The various retail trades are still doing ■satisfactory business. Drapers, clothiers, boot-shops, butchers, and. grocers express , themselves as quite', satisfied with the voluiue of .trade -for the,season :of .the year,- and the amount of ; business being done compares .favourably with previous years for the season. ,'Xhe ,carpentering and building trades. generally show an improvement since last report,-and at present .there are very few local tradesmen out of work; Cabinetmakers, coachbriilders, blacksmiths, and'sash and door' factories are very quiet at .present. 'Slaughtering, freezing,, and canning is .'still''in full swing, tho quantity of stock offering is still well maintained, and there seems every prospect of a continuance. The quantity of millt supplied to the various factories is rapidly diminishing; there is in consequence a very much reduced output of butter and cheese, which is, of course, .to bo expected at. this time of.tho year. Many of. tbo> factories have reduced their staffs considerably. The, season for both butter and cheeso has been very satisfactory, both in quantity of output and prices realised. - Wanganui.—There has boon very little change in tho state of trade during the past month. Trailers report that business , has improved slightly, but is not quite I up to tho_ average for this season of the year. Grain and produce merchants report business as slack, and state that tho mildness of the weather, and abundance of grass has greatly rednced the demand for feed for horses. A number of men have sought employment, and eight have been assisted thereto! Business may still he , described as. quiet, with an upward tendency. . Taihapo.—The conditions of trado have not materially changed sinco last report, but everything points' to a bettor stot-e of things in tha very near future. The state of tEa

sawmQling industry is anything but-encour< aging, and the results of the Timber Commission investigations are awaited with interest. ■. ,

Feilding.—During the. past month labour bias been slack here, especially in fho carpentering and building trade. ; With tb© exception of a new courthouse, which is now almost complete, littio has been dose. Palmerston North.—There has been lifctfo ohange in the condition of the labour 1 market dnring the past month. Trade generally fa about normal, and the town does not appear to have suffered to any great extent from the recent alleged tightness of money. Otafci.—There is very littio alteration to report in the state of trade generally compared with the previous month. The prospects in the building trade are a' little brighter than last month, and the eawmillers report an improvement in the output of dressed timber. Business in the retail trades is unsatisfactory. Maeterton.—There has been Bcareely any alteration in the general state of trade during the month just ended,; end business people throughout do not seem to anticipate much improvement during the winter months The building trades still remain slack, and a number of tradesmen who were oocnected therewith experience great difficulty in obtaining employment. This trade being slack creates quite a depression, affecting, as it does, a number of industries, including sawmiJmg, sash and door factories, and brickworks, all of. which are very slack at present, iurniture trade still .continues quiet. Coach-

bftfldiag and general blacksmithing are reported to be fair. ' TRADES UNION REPORTS. '•'The reports sent ill by the secretaries of the trade unione take as ueuala less cheerful view : of the. position than that adopted by the Departmental officers. The,following reports from the former source are published in the "Journal":— Wellington Carpenters. Trade is very bad. Sixty.' carpenters and joiners are i signing the book. This means a bad outlook for the winter. Many firms aTe reducing'hands. .. .:'■■'■' ".,.•, " ,:; '.i Wellington Engineers." There has , been an increase in the number of men out.of. work this : month,- owing -to, some small contracts being finished and.fresh arrivals from Britain. There arc at least twenty members out of work, distributed among Wellington, Mastorton, Napier, and Wanganui. Abont twenty members are working at other occupations.' .. ■■' •-.■■■ Wellington Plumbers. : Trade is very quiet.- Thero are three members of our union ont of work besides some non-unionists. There have been some large buildings started, but these will not be ready Tor • some considerable time.