CONDITIONS IN SYDNEY.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 December 1920, Page 6

CONDITIONS IN SYDNEY.

STATEMENTS BY NEW ZEALAND VISITORS, Mr. T. R. Wallace (secretary to the Marine Engineers' Association) arrived in Wellington by the Manuka on Monday. interviewed by a Times reporter, Mr. Wallace said that just after he reached Sydney he' saw in the papers that there were 14,000 unemployed in the city; and before he left, some four weeks later, the number had increased to 15,000. "Those out of work," lie stated, "were mainly unskilled iaborers, and that in spite of the fact that Sydney on the whole seemed fairly busy. Some trades, indeed, seemed particularly busy. The engineering and the building trades, were pretty busy, but anything more than that I could not sav.

"There appeared to be the same difficulty in getting houses built in Sydney that there is in Wellington, and just as much difficulty in getting lodgings. The Government, I believe, are doing all they can to cope with the unemployment difficulty, and with that object in view they are trying to push ahead with certain public works. The street traffic is very congested in Sydney, and the trams in consequence frequently get stuck up at the crossings—long lines of them. So the Construction of a railway subway under the streets is under consideration. This, of course, would absorb a great deal of unskilled labor; as also would the bridge across the harbor, which is being Inuch talked of. But the Government want the contractors to take payment in State debentures fffr the bridge. They haven't got tenders out for it yet; but that is what they' are asking, and whether anybody will take it up on debenture lines remains to be seen. Altogether thfc city looks prosperous, and has a busy appearance; but there is undoubtedly a great and increasing number of unemployed there, and that has an ominous look.

I "I was away about five weeks altogether, combining business with pleasure. so that I could not get far from Sydney'. We had a fortnight over there with only three days' fine weather in it; and when the big gale was on, the Manly boats had to stop running for one day. It was the worst storm they had had for years." Mr. W. B. Millier (Assistant-Secre-tary to the Marine Department) also returned to Wellington by the Sydney boat.

Interviewed by a Times representative, Mr. Millier said that the industrial conditions in Sydney, where he spent the greater part of tiie time, were pretty had. There was a lot of unskilled labor unemployed over there, and the outlook for unskilled men was not at all promising.

DEPRESSING SITUATION. There was, however, plenty of building going on—especially house-building —and there was thus ample employment for skilled tradesmen in that line. But in some other trades the situation was very depressing.. There wa§, for instance, a considerable number of hoot factories, and so on, dosed down for the time being, owing to there being too much stock 011 hand; and all sorts of rumors were flying about—though, of course, I could not say how much truth there was in them—that some of the factories were not "going to open again. "Sydney seen to-day," continued Mr. Millier, "wn 5 no't. the Sydney I knew it two years ago. The city s.eems to he commencing to experience a serious depression, and the indications are that they are in for a very bad time over there. I did not get to any of the other big centres, but, wo went on a bit of a tour up country, to the Blue Mountains, etc., which we enjoyed very much indeed.