SHORTAGE OF LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1238, 21 September 1911, Page 4

SHORTAGE OF LABOUR.

MORE IMMIGRANTS WANTED. Tho short supply of workers—skilled and unskilled—for employment in the industries of Now Zealand was remarked upon as follows in the annual report presented to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Employers' Federation yesterday : — "Tho question of tho shortage of labour is one that requires immediate attention both by Government and employers of labour. Thy Chief Inspector of Labour in this year's report deals with tho matter, and expresses grave doubts as to tho possibility of securing suitable hands for our factories from Groat Britain. Even though that has to be' admitted, your executive is of tho opinion that one of tho Dominion's greatest needs is a progressive immigration policy, and although it may take tho form of inducing and assisting families to come to New Zealand for the purpose of going on tho land, the result m a comparatively short time will be that more workers will be available for work in our trades and industries. It is certainly inimical to tho best interests of the' Dominion to seo some of our products, such as thoso handled in our jam and preserving factories going to waste, and to realise that many thousands of pounds worth of goods liave to be imported owing to tho fact that workers are not available to enable manufacturers to meet the demand lor local productions." Nor does it. appear that the short snpp y is the only difficulty besetting employers wishing to employ labour, as the following paragraph in tho same report seeks to show:—

lhe increasing liabilities of employers 01 labour regarding tho employment' of apprentices and the unsatisfactory condiol Hie law in this connection have received tho serious consideration of vour executive during the past year. Employers aro vapidly becoming less inclined to undertake the responsibilities pertaining to tho employment and training of young people, with the result that this is oiw of tho causes of the short supply of skilled workmen in the Dominion, ilepoated vequests having been matlo for n model deed of apprenticeship, your executive has had one prepared for submission to the annual nieoting, which, if adopted, will it is believed protect employers so far as it is possible under the law as it now stands.