CONDITIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 157, 24 June 1908, Page 4

CONDITIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

UJCAL AIANITACiTKKK'S iAll'l.E.ssiuXS.

-Mr. 11. Coodarie, of the Egniout Hoot and Shoe Factory, Xew Plymouth, with Alls. Coodaciv. ju,t returned from a trip lu Au-tralia occtiping si\ or ,eveu week*, wu* iiilerviewed yesterday by r. "I>,iily News" representative. Sir (Jomlacre is well-known locally for the pr.iniinem part he takes, and the keen in-ler.-i he ili*|.lay.*. ill lah.tr maltcr*. and it win with tliis in view that lie interviewer lir-t touched upon l,Ani>K COXDITIOXS. Labor and social eoiitlilioiis iu Sydney. ,he .-aitl, hatl greatly improved .since his lu-st vi*it * e -'even year* ago, so much so that there was' practically a new order of tilings amongst the working classes, and the loaling clement seemed to he going out of existence. .Mr Coodacrc made a point of investigating the labor laws anil conditions, and these he found were in innay respects similar to ours, the wage-earners receiving about the same wages as the Xew Zealand workers, but for an average of 48 hours a week, instead of 1.3 hours. One of the weak spots, however, was the apprenticeship system. All hoys hail lo he apprenticed for six mouths' service. There was uo limn to the number of apprentices employed, .mil one naturally asked the question, "What is going In become of these buys at the conclusion of their apprenticeship'." The sysiem u f apprentice-nip. J too. was very louse. liovs leaving an employer or being dismissed at Ihe will of cither party, so that il was really not apprentitvship at all, and many *ucallcil apprentices never completed their term. Here in Xew Zealand, remarked Mr. i.lootlacre. the. average condition* were that an employer is allowed on;, apprentice to three journeymen, but iu Australia there were too many apprentices altogether.

MOW IXDUSTRIES. Slauy new industries, he remarked, had sprung up on account of the protective policy, hence the changed condition of the worker and the comparative absence of the professional loaier. "1 say 'comparative absence,' because there are still more of the loaling class about than we arc accustomed to see in this country," added Sir. Goodacre. At the present time the manufacturing trades were in a poor way, consequent npou the two years of partial drought. MELISOUUXE.

Had just about recovered the position she occupied before the doom burst, and manufacturing had greatly advanced lately. The visitors "felt very small in some of the hoot factories, where they were turning out from ten thousand to twelve thousand pairs a week. The growth of manufacturing industries was iu A considerable measure attributable to the POLICY OF I'KoTrXTIOX. At present the manufacturers titer;' were aide t" compete with the Knglish manufacturer, both in regard I" price and ciiialiiv. This was pariiculaily Unease ill regard to the belter clas.es oi footwear, and. after a thorough inspection of the materials ami method, Used in ,-ome of the best lactone.. .Mr. lioodacre decided to caned several Knglish order, and place order, for .orne thousands of pairs of boots with Jlellwurue wople He claimed that the quality tva, just as good a, the Knglish article, and the lirsl cost ami freight effected a big saving per pair. A, yet they had not tried' to compete in the cheaper and •-,hoddv' r lines. Thi, was under a high state of protection, of course, but i t "wa- interesting to note that 'prices there were not high, the.e being regulated bv the keen coiii|ieUlioii. .lie

had alwavs contended that a fair measure of protection, to encourage pr.i„riei,.r, of factories to lay down plain. V.a, the bi-l poliev for the colonic, not iii.,-.".arilv between themselves, but in

iv anl 'o foreign coni|ietition. He was quite Mire that iu the matter of the boot trade the people of Australia \w\": ju,t a, well served as in the days of free-trade. IfKACTIIT'L SCJHUI'.S. Svduev. lie remarked, had made great ,tii'des in the past few years. Thousands of buildings had gone up. Although Sydncv as a city was not a place to lie admired, its environments and surroundings were probably unsurpassed in the world, and more especially its harbor "See Naples, and die," was a ,lock phrase. See Sydney, and one wanted to live. At the present time between ,i\ and .even millions ot money were liein;.' expended iu building, in Sydncv and the mention of this would give .oliic .light idea of its growth. The park., 100. had been very much improved, llvde Park, in the middle of the eitv, hail boon .0 altered and illuminated'l>j night that it was "quite respectable." where only a few year, ago 1; sheltered hundred, of loafers each iii"ht. Svdnev people were very wide aw'ake to the beautifying of their town and surroundings, with the result that it war now attracting as residents a great proportion of people who.inaiW a bit of money and wanted to enjoy it. There was no doubt in the visitors mind that Sydney's waterfronts and more up-to-date system of (rams gave Sidney an advantage over Melbourne as 11' place of residence. Speaking of electric trams in Sydney reminded -M----(loodacrc that electricity for manufacturing purposes was supplied at a half : pennv per unit, o r about a quarter ot the New Plvmoulli charges, and gas cost onlv i, Hd'as against lis Sd per lUllbf: here. This was a great help to manufacturer,. He concluded by mentioning that as a result of his visit he was installing some more modem machinery.