MORE BUILDERS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 150, 21 March 1939, Page 10

MORE BUILDERS

Further Contingent From Sydney MET BY MINISTER Not Wanted To Work Overtime A further contingent of 47 Australian builders arrived at Wellington yesterday by the Awatea from Sydney. They were met on board by the Minister of Housing, Mr. Armstrong, who addressed them before they disembarked. He welcomed them on behalf of the Government, and expressed the hope that their stay in New Zealand would be long, happy and prosperous. One of the men replied that they hoped to enjoy New Zealand’s social benefits for the rest of their lives. .

“Our people, as you know, are sorely iu need of houses,” said the Minister. “Very little was done during the depression period. Iu Auckland aud Wellington there is a fair amount of overcrowding and an urgent need for homes. That is the reason why Mr. Hodgens was sent to Australia, where there were tradesmen idle. It wasn’t common sense to go without houses in New Zealand when there were men idle in other parts of the British Empire. “You are under no obligation to us —we sent for you because we need you. With your co-operation, we can work wonders.”

Quite a number of men had already arrived from Australia, he explained, and 98 to 99 per cent, of them, had settled down to work and were giving general satisfaction. That was only to be expected of Australians. “A Little Difficulty.” There had been a little difficulty with some of the meu who had arrived earlier. It could not bp expected that 100 per cent, satisfaction would be obtained in the placing of so large a number of men. A certain amount of newspaper correspondence had taken place.- A carpenter and a bricklayer appeared to be sorry they had left the £8 a week they were getting in Aus“Where did they get it?” shouted one of the men. If they wanted to go to work tomorrow, they woud be sent to work, continued the Minister. It had just bapliened that a man was sent to a job and when he got there he found the position was tilled. All he had to do was to go back to the placement office and be sent somewhere else. It turned out that he was not a bricklayer at all. A complaint had been made that Mr. Hodgens had promised them not only 40 hours work a week at award wages but also 10 hours a week overtime. Some overtime was being worked because of the scarcity of men, but he did not think Mr. Hodgens had promised anyone 10 hours a week overtime. The 40-hour Week. The Government had established in New Zealand a 40-bour week in the building aud most other industries and intended to guard it jealously. It appeared that some of them were not satisfied with a 40-hour week. If they wanted to break it down they had better have stayed in Australia. The Government did not wish to see anybody working overtime; it wanted all the workers of New Zealand to be on a 40bour week. Another complaint was that meu had been asked to pay far too much for board. Temporary quarters would be found, and during the time these temporary arrangements were made the men would not be asked to pay more than 35/- a week for board. If it came to more than 35/-, the surplus would be paid for them. “That’s fair enough I” answered the men.

Any Complaints.

“If you have any complaints,’’ he said, “you have your own organizations. The bricklayers and carpenters and other unions will watch your interests. The Labour Department will investigate any complaints, or you can tell them to the placement officer. If you have any difficulties, go to the proper quarters. Never mind about going to the Tory newspapers. One of the men replied that they were glad to have come to a country where the Government was trying to do something for the workers and had given them a 40-bour week. They had left a country where starvation actually existed, and the Government was fighting against the 40-hour week, though a 35-hour week was really required. He felt certain they would all become good New Zealand citizens and enjoy the Dominion’s social benefits for the rest of their lives. (Picture on page 7.)

AUCKLAND ARRIVALS By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, March 20. A further batch of 42 carpenters, plumbers, electricians, painters and plasterers arrived at Auckland by the Niagara from Sydney under contract to the Government for its housing scheme. All the carpenters, of whom there were 17, are to be used in Auckland, but some of the other tradesmen are being sent to Hamilton and Tauranga, toeing the first of the Australian workmen to go there. In addition to the 42 men under contract to the Government, the Niagara carried about 20 more Australians who have come to New Zealand in search of work. Only six were carpenters and it is expected that no difficulty will be found in placing them in employment. The remainder of the men not under contract were mostly labourers and clerks, who will be assisted in the normal way by the State Placement Service.

Three officers of the service met the Niagara and attended to the landing details of the party under contract to the Government. The organization was again so complete that all the men remaining in Auckland had been given starting chits for their various jobs before 8 o’clock. Overnight accommodation was also arranged. As wars the case with the tradesmen who arrived last week by the Awatea, the Niagara’s party was for the most part composed of men who said they were not satisfied with the present state of the building trade in Australia. The most frequent complaint expressed was the amount of broken time experienced. Thev said there was no such thing as a steady job and even defence measures and rebuilding programmes in areas recently stricken by bush fires had made little difference to the employment avaikrblp for skilled, jaejh