LABOUR MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1936, 19 December 1913, Page 5

LABOUR MARKET.

DEPARTMENTAL REVIEW. CONDITIONS fN NOVEMBER.

The Labour Department's official review of the state of trade in November naturally indicates tho far-reacliing effects.of. the strike on trado and industry throughout the Dominion. The conditions in Wellington during the month aro summarised as follow:—

■During the period trade and labour conditions have been seriously affected by the present industrial trouble, which commenced with a strike of watcrsido workers six weeks ago, and lias siireo spread to other industries. Tho result has been a dislocation of business geiioi ally, and same brandies of trade which are usually brisk at. this time of year arc reported to bs very dull, in many cases owing to the shortage of materials. Operations on the wateriront are, however, now' proceeding, , Building Trades.—.BricklayingVery slack j there is- a largo number of moil out of work. Carpentry and joinery: This trado is very quiet, and thero is a considerable numebr of men out of work,, said ■to bs chielly on account of the striko of builders' labourers. Painting quiet,-owing to all building operations being slack, but there, aro signs of betterment. Plastering elack; thero is a shortage of work offering. Plumbing and gasfittiiig; Trade quiet; tlio union secretary reports a number of men out of work.

Woodworking Trades.—Cabinetmaking and upholstering:; One or two firms are working full time,. but in the majority of cases trade is very slack; some firms have put men off, whilst others __aro working their stalls on half-time. Sash and door factories, sawrnilling, and coopering are- very quiet, .and there is a number' of men out. of employment. Engineering trades, including boilermaking, ' fitting, and _ turning, iron and brass moulding, and range-making, have been very slack, chiefly on account of want of material; a considerable number of men has had to be put off. Leather Trades.—Bootmaking (factories and repair shops) report trade as normal, but not quite as brisk as is usual at this time of year. Saddlery and haniessmaking businesses report trade as dull for this time of year.

Clothing Trades.—Dressmaking and millinery fair, but not up to what is expected at this season. Tailoring (fac* tones): Firms aro working full time, but- trade is very quiet- for this timo of year, when a considerable amount of overtime is usually.' worked. Tailoring (shops): Orders arc coming in fairly freely, but- money is very tight. Retail Trades.—Reports from shopkeepers generally aro to th-5 cffect that trado is fair, but- consider that they should be doing a mush bigger business as tho Christmas soason^approacbes. Printing Trades.—'Varying reports have been received as to the state of trade, but on. tho whole it- seems to be quiet, with a few hands out of employment.

Meat Freezing and Preserving.—The season for this work, is just opening, "but on account of the strike tjie companies interested are not- engaging the usual number of hands.

C'oachb'ailding trades, including black* smithing, conih and - carriage building, ami repairing, are very slack, and a number of men arc out- of employment. Cycle and motor trades liavo had a fair month, but not as good as was anticipated. Lnskilled Labour.—During the month there lias been very little unskilled work flfforiHg in the 'city, the cause no doubt being the prevailing labour unrest. Employment, however, has been found for 161 persons, the majority of wlkmu wore sent 'to the country. There is still a large.demand'for'farm labourers who can milk, and the Department, could placc another fifty of this class of worker. Of the total of IGI men assisted S3 were, married and 76 single, with 12G dependents: 37 earne from the North Island, 21 from the South Island, 16 from the Commonwealth, 82 from Great Britain, and 3 from other parts, and their occupations wore those of earpenters, clerk', farm hands, gardeners, shop assistants, shearers, .and general labourers.

The conditions in the other centres arc described as follow:—

Xapier.—Trade conditions oii the whole have been good during the mc-ntli under review, despite tho far-reaching effect of the present industrial crisis operating throughout the Dominion. None of tho labour unions in llawk'c's Bay have gone out_ on strike, and the. men'Urs of tho various organisations liave followed their rosweth'e callings with the- usual regularity. .

New Plymouth.—Trade and labour conditions have been very unsettled during the past month, the primary cause being th<* strike of tho waterside workers'. The losal union ceased work on October 30, and although all cargo reaching Taramiki has been handled by free labour, and latterly by members of tho new Waterside Workers' Union, the stoppage of transhipments at tho chief ports has caused a considerable shortage of supplies. This has had a depressing effect on business generally, principally among tho numifacturmg trades, Wangamii.—Trade and business 011 the wholo have been very spasmodic during tho past month. While'some of tho industries (such as the building and textile) are busy, others are quiet and much below,tho standard, with 110 signs of any immediate improvement. Tho retailers generally report 'a faliing-ofv in tho volume of business transacted, and there has been a decrease in ready-money purchasers. It is somewhat difficult to account for this, as the eeffcts of the strike have not reached Wangamii to any appreciable extent, and employment generally has been normal throughout tho month.

Palmerston North.—Track for. the past month has been loss satisfactory than usual, and. the outlook is 110110 too hope fti! at present, probably owing to the. strike. Outside labour has also suffered for the same reason, and a few factories have had to slacken ojf on. account of difficulty in getting raw material to work upon. Masiertoii;— Owing to tno industrial unrest prevalent at present trade getieraliv has been more or less affected in tbis district, but not to such an extent as might liave been expected. The country islooking well and feed is abundant; shearing operations have been very much interfered with by broken weather, causing sonio loss both to' employers and men. Tho creetioil of new' buildings Mi tho borough shows signs of a temporary lull.