STATE OF LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 767, 16 March 1910, Page 11

STATE OF LABOUR.

THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S REPORT. The journal of the Department of Labour contains the following reports of the state of labour in Wellington and the surrounding districts WELLINGTON. During the month of February trade generally was . better, than for the corres-ponding-niontli of last'year. The building trades remain quiet, but several buildings are in course of erection in the suburbs, which should causo a slight improvement in the bricklayingi Pointing, and plumbing trades. . • Of the clothing trades, dressmaking • and millinery, are j still very, good, but tailoring lias slack-) ened o(F somewhat-' since last period. In the woodworking .industries, while sawmilling and saSh and door, factories are slack,' the coopering and box and case making trades are all very busy.. Tho dairy and meat-preserving - trades being in full swing contribute towards the good state of 1 those industries. .Shopkeepers report that sales of clothiDg, boots, drapery, groceries, etc., are, all ; very fail',. and quite up to the normal. Weather; conditions were splendid most of the month, and offered good opportunities of constant work for outside trades. Building trades: Bricklaying quiet; there are still many hands unemployed. Carpentry and joinery is'' fair; several residences are being erected in the suburbs, and there are not so many men out of work as Inst month. Painting still slack ; a' slight improvement should follow the. erection of new buildings; mucli of the work: doing consists of jobbing and only lasts for two or three' days; many tradesmen are only making poor time. Plastering fairly busy, although. a slight fhlling-off towards the end of the month has been experienced. Plumbing and gasfitting continues fairly busy. Ston.emnsonry shows no change; fair-amount of work offering, tad all hands employed. ' Woodworking trades; Boxmaking.—This being the busy season, trade is very good. Cabinotmaking and upholstering" fairly good in factories; sale-rooms are quiet iust now. Coopering and casemaking very busy; overtime being: worked. Sash and door factories—Only fair amount of trade being done. Sawmilliiig is in: a bad state, and, as reported last month, immediate prospects are far from bright. . Wood- ; turning,,etc., slack; no improvement. Engineering trades: Boilermhking lias improved slightly, and more work is anticipated shortly. Brass and coppersmith-, ing. quiet. Electrical engineering- has slackened off during the month, not muoh being done.. Fitting and- turning—An improvement on last month has been shown,' aild trade is likely to further improve. Iron: and brass moulding . still' slack'. Rangemaking remains slack,, and' .prospects are far from good. Leather trades: Bootmaking (factories) very busy. Bootmaking (repair-shops) busy, particularly during the latter part of the montli. Saddlery and harnessmaking fairly busy in factories, but shop sales, aro not quite : so good. Clothing trades: Dressmaking and millinery very good, and overtime is still being worked. Shirtmuking not sd'good as during Inst period. Tailoring (factories and order-shops)— Orders are fairly plentiful, though, trade, has slackened: offa little. ; Woollen-milling—All hands fully, employed. . :Retail trades; Clothing very fair; season e : sales have: been well patronised. Boots good. Drapery and- groceries very • r Y Printing'., trades-Bookbinding' quictqr than last month,..but. still fair, Printing fairly.. busy;. an.. improvement nas. been, shown. Meat-freezing, etc.: Tanning, ctirrving, fellmongermg, slaiigllterllig, freezing," anil preserving—All hands and factories are very busy, a good season and plenty of work prevailing. J :,Coaclibuilding trades: v Blacksniithing ■is (luii. Coach, carriage,- and tranicar repairing good; at the present' time there are 110 new cars being made.••••- . Unskilled labour The .number of .men who registered' their ■ names for' employment was a little in excess of the previous month but many of those cE wanted local .work oniy, which at' present is now being freely offered. ;A. hundred and sixty-eight men (comprising brick layers carpenters, engineers, painters farm hands, and labourers) were found employment during tho month; 69 of-this A Cr ? mn [ ni ? d and 99' single, with 1,2 dependents. The increase 7 in the g i- s no doubt , due to'the 5 J tl harvesting work is about comDieted throughout' • tho » Doniinion, and fes G ,>™inbers -i o ** Wen I. toe coming back into tho large towns on. the look-out for other work. Fortunately there do not appear to be mimy deserving married men applying, and among tho single applicants aro included many who are idle through their own default. Some- admit leaving work m the country in an unfinished state, and others confess to spending their earnings .in drink. Altogether, the class of men who applied during February, with perhaps few exceptions, were not dependable or deserving enough to bo sent to work. The Department, in filling orders of private employers and the Government Departments, is desirous of sending only the right class of men, and deems it best to send none -at all rather than men who cannot bo vouched for as good workers, capable and willing to do a fair day s work. The carpentering work at the Mental Hospital addition at Porirua is nearly complete, and twenty hands were discharged during, tho month; At tho netv Government House, Mount View 6 very large numhor of'hands aro at present employed, but it,'is unlikely, that the number will be materially increased mth. the oxception that some painters will probably be engaged through tho Department when -the interior paperhanginc and decorations are ready to bo cone on with. , . . : ' PALMEKSTON NORTH. Building trades: Bricklaying-Trade has brightened up-considerably, and Eoveral brick buildings axo in the course of erection throughout tho district. . Carpentry and joinery is very slack; there is not the slightest chance of outside tradesmen finding employment here. Painting' hasMen quiet, and several of the local firms have been slackening off hands. Plastoring—Not much doing jn this line, although a little work is expectcd in a ,veek or so. Plumbing and gasfittinc luiot; enough work can be found to keep -he local hands going. Stonemasonry fair but no openings for extra hands. ' ' MASTEETON. During the past month trade and business may bo classed as being quiet all round. This is found to be the case enerally throughout this part of tho nstnet at this time of the year. It s reported, howevor, that tho building ;rado is about to revive considerably in he near future; quite a number of buildup principally residences, are being prepared for tender. ; This is looked upon as i satisfactory sign of progress, tho buildng trade having been exceptionally slack or a considerable period. Threshing iporations aro keeping a number of hands mgaged at present. Drovors aro oxccnlonally busy, owing to the largo number of sheep and cattle changing hands hrough tho local saleyards. Tho milk lupply at tho various butter and cheeso actoncs has been well maintained owinc o the abundanco of feed, and tho season iromises to be a record one for dairying. ■ WANGANUI. .There , is. •an appreciable changs - iA rade generally since' last report. Painters larponters, and plumbers arc nil fully annoyed, and .are- likely to bo so for »me'considerable ■ time, but there are inough local men to supply uli demands it present.- Cabiiietiiiaking has also Jightly .improved, and brickmaking is 'ery busy, due, of course, to l!io nnlsually large number of business prenises being.ercctcd. Tailoring trado is luiet, and drapers also report a quiet nontli, which, however, was expected owng to tho change of the seasons. Building trades: Bricklaying very ;ood; all journeymen aro fully employed, uid likely to be so for 6omo considerible time. Carpentry and joinery very ;ood, and expected to improve; one ot wo journeymen called during the month, iut. they have since found' employment. Minting vory good, and all hands fully mployed, -Plumbing—and -gasfittiiv;:: L'hero is sufficient work for'all' local iiic'i'i, ml ti anr ar« fairly built ' '