LACK OF LABOUR?

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1439, 14 May 1912, Page 5

LACK OF LABOUR?

IF SO, WHERE? THE TRUE POSITION STATED "There is practically no extraordinaryshortage of labour in Wellington, so far as the Department knows, except in boy and gir! workers in the woollen manufacturing and the clothing trade:-," said llr. .1. W. Collins, of the Labour Department, yesterday, in reply to a question. "In these industries," he continued, there is apparently a very pronounced shnriftjje. Wo have emphasised this month after month in tho, Journal, and in Ihe annual report of the Department. The .lounial is circulated widely, and the fuel becomes known tu any inquirers at Home proposing to emigrate to New Zealand. A lew workers come out from time to time, hut the demand is as far from being satisfied as ever. Many establishments, I understand, have simply had I to refute orders bceauso they conUt not possibly execute them.

"There has also boon a reported shortage in the cabinet-making trade for Sonic considerable time, and sonic local masters have expressed their willingness to guarantee twelve months' employment to competent men if the Department could find them. There is fluctuation in other trades, and there is nothing to show that such present shortages as are supposed to exist are likely to be permanent. At present, there is a demand for carpouters, and good men are very difficult to obtain. Of all the building industries the most acute shortage is in ihe plumbing trade. Plumbers have been in demand for the last two years, and there ! would not be the slightest difficulty in [ placing a considerable number, perhaps as many as fifty, in Wellington in fairly permanent work. If they could not be absorbed at once in 'Wellington, they could certainly find work very easily in the country. "The artisan immigrants who come hero arc a very good lot, as far- as we can learn. They are apparently good tradesmen, well trained in their work. Wo hear a complaint now and then ns to their slowness, but after a few weeks' work here they soon acquire the pace demanded in Now Zealand. They say that the work required here is not so thorough ns in the Old Country, but when they pick up colonial ways thfcy seem to compare very favourably with our locallytrained men. Wo always have difficulty in getting tradesmen, especially married men, to go into the country, owing to the cost to be incurred bv them in keeping a home in lown and finding themselves in l.lio country. Although the rate of wages for country work is liieher—about 2d. per hour usually—the difference scarcely compensates) them for tlio extra expense entailed. "But although we can offer work now to most classes of workers, wo cannot promise employment for five years ahead, as they can ill some of the cities in Australia. There is evidence that the vessels touching at Hobart en route to New Zealand arc visited by emissaries from the various States, who offer employment to, immigrants at definite rate's for definite long termSj so great is ths demand for labour in the Commonwealth. Undoubtedly there is not such a larce unsatisfied demand for workers hero. Wo have Work now; but we can't promise employment for such long terms ahead." THE PINCH IN AUCKLAND. THE CLOTHING TRADE. (Br Telegfaoh.—Press Association.! Auckland, May 13. Recent ndvieo from Wellington is to the effect that there is a considerable short-age of labour in many. departments. of industry. The clothing industry in Wellington is said to bo feeling tho . pinch keenly, it being apparently impossible to obtain hands sufficient to cope with the work offering in various clothing factories. Inquiries.among representatives of the clothing industry in Auckland go to show that .the samo unfortunate, state of affairs is practically duplicated in this city. Speaking to a "Herald" representative, the manager of a large clothing firnr stated that tho industry is suffering acutely from a deficiency in the supply of factory operatives. Orders long overdue are impossible of execution, simply because pcoplo cannot, bo induced to accept employment. Tho demand is more particularly for girls, and the situation occasionally becomes .absolutely desperate owing to tho shortage. Manufacturers rcceive indignant letters from their customers, demanding to know why their wants haVc.' not been supplied, and are quite helpless in the face of tho situation. .... The most serious aspect of the question, ho added, is that retailers, who caiino't afford to disregard the demands of their own customers, are forced to fall back upon the imported article, when they would prefer to deal in locally-mauufac-tured goods. , . , There appears also to be' n perennial > dearth of domestic servants, both in town ' and country. The few domestics offering naturally please themselves as to the kind of situation wliich they will accept, and it would seem that they engage at hotels and restaurants in preference to private ■ establishments.