TRADE AND LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1546, 16 September 1912, Page 6

TRADE AND LABOUR.

THE MONTH'S ,

The Journal .of the Department of Labour for the month of September, just .published, reviews the general coudition of.trade and labour in the various industries of the Dominion during August._ During the month business in Wellington has shown an improvement, and all trades are fairly busy. Plumbers are busy, as also are brass and coppersmiths. Engineering also s.hows an improvement on the pre\ious month. Tailoring, wliich is usually very slnck at this timn of the year, has been fairly busy, and no journeymen an; registered ;is bein? out of employment. Bricklaying continues slack, and several tradesmen are out of employment. Carpentry.- and joinery, no improvement in town work, but plenty of ■country work available; painting, considerable improvement during the month, and prospects for'the-near future favourable; plastering, quiet, at present ;• plumbing and gasfitting, nmilar to last month, permanent hands -fairly well employed; stonemasonry, vei'V little"vorfc doing; cardboard-box making, very'busy; cabinetmaking and upholstering, steady-trade, all hands kept fully employed; coopering, noticeable improvement, .early .season is anticipated; sash and door factories and sawniilling, factories nnd mills have been quiet; wood-turning, etc., Hill quiet; boilcrin'a'king, improved slightly; brass nnd copper-smithinfr, very busy, with several vacancies for suitable tradesmen; electrical engineering, busy, with demand for good tradesmen, several larsjn. contracts in the country being held up' for want of men; fitting and turning, tendency for improvement generally; brassmoulding, very busy, 'good ' tradesmen required; raiigemakuig, steady trade 'maintained; bbotmnkiug (factories 'and repair shops), fairly busy, with several vacancies for boys and girls; saddlery nnd harness-making, continues satisfactory; dressmaking and millinery, considerable improvement, with demand for competent hands; shirhnaking, busy; tailoring (factories), very good, several hands advertised for; tailoring (order), fairlyv good, no hands idle, although a few shops are riot working full time; woollen milling, still good. . , " Retail Trades.—Clothing, boots, and drapery, generally considered very good for the season, am] an improvement on previous months; groceries, very slight improvement on previous month." .Other-Trades—Bookbinding and printing, fairly good, no applications for work;' tanning,, currying, and i'ellmongenng, fairly busy; mcatrfreezing, .slaughtering, and preserving, off season, works practically closed down; blacksmithing and coach, carriage, and tramear building, slight improvement, and future.prospects good; cycle and-motor trades show con.sideivtble improvement on previous month; fanning, dairying, etc., very busy. ■ Unskilled Labour,—During the month the number of men'applying for work was about equal to that of the corresponding period of last year.' Though work in tho city and suburbs has been dull, especially at the beginning of the month, there is a demand for good navvies, bushmen, and scrub-cutters for the country; but it is difficult, to persuade some of the single men in the city to take up llils work. Ploughmen and milkers are also in request, at present. The flaxmills are expected lo resume, 'operations early in September. During the mojith H married men and 107 single one?, having a total of :ITS dependent?, were sent lo work. 117 proceeding to private employment and U to Government works.