OFFICIAL REPLIES TO COMPLAINTS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 148, 18 March 1939, Page 12

OFFICIAL REPLIES TO COMPLAINTS

“Specific Reasons” If Men Have No Jobs

NO GUARANTEE GIVEN OF ACCOMMODATION

Inquiries made yesterday concerning the tradesmen who have arrived at Wellington from Australia showed that the Placement Office had directed them to jobs. With the exception of certain cases, for which there were specific reasons, the men had jobs, it was stated.

Regarding the “specific reasons,” it was learned from the Placement Office that two men declined jobs because they expected to receive overtime pay as well as their ordinary earnings on housing contracts under the New Zealand State housing scheme. A third who signed up as a bricklayer wag said to have admitted after his arrival in New Zealand, that he was not a qualified bricklayer, but a builders’ labourer. He was thereupon directed to a job as a builder’s labourer and nothing has been heard from him since. The Placement Office intimated that there were plenty of jobs available. Officials stated yesterday that there was work for every one of the men brought to New Zealand, but in the allocation of jobs men might be sent to contractors building for the Housing Department who were not ready to start work immediately. That difficulty, it was pointed out, was bound to occur in handling a ' large number of men, but there was no question of any man being unable to secure work. On the question of accommodation for imported tradesmen, it was stated that no guarantee was given that board and lodging would be made available. The Labour Department undertook to help the men in the matter and all of them had obtained accommodation. Union Secretary’s Conunent. So far as private builders were concerned, he did not think that any workmen from overseas had been let down, said Mr. J. Moulton, secretary of the Wellington Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Union, when asked if any complaints of that nature had been made to him.

Recently, said Mr. Moulton, the Placement Service had sent a questionnaire to every builder in the country asking if he could engage men. In one case that he knew of a building firm had asked for 25 men, and he had not heard that they had been let down in any way. So far as he under- - stood the same applied to other men engaged as a result of the questionnaire.

There had been complaints by iin-. ported workmen regarding accommodation. This was particularly the case with married men, but the boarding difficulty was no greater than with any other section of the community. Mr. Moulton said that he did not think private builders engaging workmen, either on their own account or through the Placement Service, gave any written guarantee as to the length of employment. There was nothing to prevent an employer advertising for men in Australia or elsewhere. The main complaint, where complaint was made, concerned not the nature of the work provided, but accommodation. t

Mr. Moulton said that he could place a dozen men in Wellington at the present time at 3/- an hour and all lost time made up. That showed the shortage of tradesmen. His union had no objection whatsoever to the importation of men so long as there was work for everyone.

Mr. J. W. Knight, president of the Wellington Master Builders’ Association, declined to comment on the position with regard to imported tradesmen.