AUCKLAND NEARING NORMAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1912, 21 November 1913, Page 9

AUCKLAND NEARING NORMAL.

3580 MEW WORKING. BUILDING CONTRACTORS RESUME. EXCELLENT WHARF WORK. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ' Auckland, November 20. Over 500 men resumed work in Auckland to-day, tho number including 160 boiler-makers, and ship workers, 100 furJiituro trado workers, carpenters, plasterers, labourers, and carters. The boilor-niakors , officially declared the strike off a few-days ago, but there was souie.little delay in.restarting them. The furniture trade workers who started today were following tho examplo of their fellows w'ko resumed tho previous day, and it is expected that by tho beginning of next week all the workers in this trade will have recommenced. Building Contraols Resumed. The most important development today was tho restarting of a number of oity building contracts. Tho master builders aro moro than pleased with the response made by the carpenters, plasterers,, labourers, and painters. Two Queen Street contracts_ wero restarted. As a result of tho decision of tho executive of the Amalgamated Society, of Carpenters and- Joiners, all tho carpenters, with the exception of about 100 aTe ready to return to work. Tho plasterers are equally ready, and as far as the building trades aro concerned tho strike is now confined to bricklayers, labourers, and painters. A number of painters and labourers are coming back to work, and most contractors can do Without bricklayers for some time, so, with the resumption of the timber pills, there should bo considerable activity in the building trades. Some men have come up from tho south to take employment on Auckland contracts. 3580 Men at Work. The numbor of men at work to-day in the various'' trades and occupations which wero affected by the strike Was 3580, against 3095 .the previous day; 2680 on Tuesday, and 2165 on Monday. Details of to-day's total are:— Waterside workers 610 Hotel and restaurant workers ...... 450 Exhibition workers 400 Carpenters 400 Harbour Board men 300 Furniture trado men , 300 Carters 250 City Council employees 200 Boiler-makers and ship workers ... 150 Painters .: 150 Plasterers 100 Aerated water workers 80 • Joinery factory operatives -.. 80 Mount Eden Borough Council em- ■ . pioyees 50 Coach workers < 40 Sail, tentj and cover makers 20 Total 3580 timber Factories Reopening. , The timber mills' and factories owned by members of the Auckland Sawmiilers' Association will reopen to-morrow morning at 7.30. These mills give employment to 1000 men, and it is "expected there will be a ready response to the invitation to resume work. At a meeting of the Timber Workers' Union to-day, a resolution ' was carried to adhere to tho attitude hitherto' maintained, but as only 174 timber workers wero present, tho decision of this small' minority does not affcot the position much. There will be amplo ■' police, protection) for,sthe-workers who wish to start to-morrow morning. The | employees of the Premier Joinery Manufacturing have unanimously ; •decided.-to resume to-morrow, ... : -, Labour for- Local Bodies. i Local bodies are finding labour offering moro freely. About 50 of the Mount Eden Borough Council's labourers have ; returned to work, leaving the samo : numbor still on strike. Sis'employees of : the Epsom Road Board who went on strike expressed thoir willingness to-day to return, but tho chairman of tho board informed them that it had been decided that they could not be taken on till tho ; strike was settled. Some fifty of the Remuera Road Board's drainage men ' aro still out. The men on road work at the Manukau Rise, Parnell, resumed to- ' day, and two specials mounted guard all the morning. Over 400 men were *at work .in connection with the Exhibition to-day, more than half of them operating on behalf of stallholders. The hotels are fully, staffed, and applications _ are : still being recoivod for membership in the new union. The union has no connection ' with the Licensed Victuallers' ; Association, and was under way five or . six days before the strike, owing to dissatisfaction with the old union. A : good deal of interest attaches to the attitude of the tramwaymen. They met to-day and had a private discussion, but no motion was before tho meeting. Activity on the Waterfront. Increased activity was maintained on . tho waterfront to-day, and in respect of tho vplump of cargo handled it waß tho busiest day since the port was reopened. Four largo vessels occupied all the available accommodation at the , King's ( Wharf. Cargo is being discharged in excellent ordor, and tho manner in which ! goods' aro being stacked in tho sheds has been given very ' high commenda- ; tion. So far as can bo" judged on approximate figures, tho work completed ' on the wharves this week will constitute a record, but whilo unusual expo- ; dition has been maintained, tho cargo ' has never been handled in a manner ' more satisfactory to the owners. Tho programme for next week will bo a ' heavy one, and though the berthage ■ available is practically equivalent to - normal, .the facilities will bo taxed to ' the utmost, and 1 there aro five colliers in port, and the Whangapo, with a cargo '' of coal, is duo in a few days. Arrange- ; ments will bo made to, discharge some : of these vessels, and thero are also sev- ; oral large steamers to deliver cargo and ' to load produce for overseas markets.