DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3072, 17 December 1908, Page 6

DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR.

The following concerning Masterton and Tinui is taken from the Journal of the Department of Labour for December: — MASTERTON.

There is no improvement to report in trade generally since last month; in fact, in several factories a number of hands have been dispensed with, and present indications do not point to any recovery in the building trades, which have not betn so quiet during the past few years as they are now. All dairy factories are*{ working at top. Building trades: Bricklaying very quiet. Carpentry and joinery quiet; some firms are shortening their hands. Painting has been fair during the past month. Plastering very slack. Plumbing and gasfitting— Tinsmithing bright but plumbing re mains quier. Stun-itnasonvy rather slack. Woodworking trades: Boxmaking, good; great improvement on last month. Cabinetmaking and upholstering very quiet. Sash and door factories slack. Savtfmilling—A few hands have been put off. Wood-turn-ing, etc., very slack. Engineering trades: Brass and copper-smithing—Very little doing. Fittingfand turning quiet. Iron and brass moulding—Fair business is reported. Leather trades—Bootmaking (repair shops) fair. Saddlery and harnessmakirig—Repairs good; sales slack, but there are signs of improvement. Clothing trades: Dressmaking and millinery improving, but no overtime has been worked. Tailoring (order) very good, but not as good as corresponding period last year. A fair amount of overtime has been worked. Retail trades: Clothing, fair business reported. Boots rather slack. Drapery, slight improvement on last report. Groceries improving. Printing trades: Printing, newspaper hands busy, and all hands are fullygemployed in the jobbing department. Tanning, currying and fellmongery fair. Coacbbuilding trades: Blacksmithing fair. Coach and carriage building, fair business reported. Cycle and motor trades: Repairs, etc., brisk, but wales are slack. Argieultural operations: Farming, dairying, etc. —The country is looking very well, and cattle and sheep are in splendid condition. The oats, etc., are just beginning to ripen, and haymaking will stert in a couple of weeks. Shearing is in , full swing, and good clips are reported. Miscellaneous: Woolpress manufacturing veryjjbusy; all hands have been fully employed. Unskilled labour: During the month ten single men were sent to employmentsby the Department. The demand for labour is still quiet. TINUI. Building trades have been slack during the month, only a few repairs being done to dwelling-house* by local carpenters. Retail trades: Clothing, boots, drapery,/and groceries— A fair business doing. Coachbuilding trades: Blacksmitbing busy. Unskilled labour: All local men have been employed during the month at shearing, scrub-cutting, fencing, ploughing,, and in shearing-sheds. Several men from adjoining districts and from Australia got employment here at shearing and in shearingsheds. Several swaggers passed through here during the month. Nearly all of them got employment at the sheds, but a few of them had to keep travelling on in search of more suitable employment. There are nojidle men about the district at the present time, and there is no demand for outside labour, as all employers are at present fullhanded.