REDUCED HOURS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 163, 23 April 1930, Page 7

REDUCED HOURS

TIMBER TRADE AFFECTED. RESULT OF IMPORTATIONS. (Per Press Associationj AUCKLAND, April 22. Timber mills throughout the Auckland province are at present idle, and when they resume operations on Monday next after a prolonged Easter holiday they will be compelled to work reduced 'hours. Owing to heavy importations of foreign timbers the industry has been labouring under difhcuh ties for several years, but it is stated by those competent to judge the situation, that conditions to-day are worse than, they have ever been. "The position of stagnation cam be promptly remedied, however, oy the placing'of restrictions on the importa-, tion of foreign woods, such as sashes and doors and sawn timbers. My personal feeling is that the trouble in the industry can be surmounted without injury to anyone. We have the timber and can supply the goods m this country in the majority of cases. Where we cannot do that we can import the required timber in bulk. If the Government would only close down on importations of timber for 12 months it would place 4000 men in work in New Zealand within six months." This statement was made this morning by Mr E. J. Phelan, secretary of the Timber Workers? "Union, when' discussing factors that contribute to the slackness of the timber industry and that are engaging the attention of both employer and employee. "We as a union appreciate more than anybody else the difficulties under which the mill owners are labouring," Mr Phelan added, in directing attention to the fact that the union arid the employers, were co-operating with one another in efforts to solve their common difficulties.

Early last week, he said, he had received ' the following letter fror*. the manager of the Taupo Totara Timber Company (Mr G. H. Coupe), candidly setting out the position of the company and the harmony that existed between employer and employee: —"As you are aware, the timber industry is having a very lean time. The Taupo Totara Timber Company is working only one of its Te Mokai mills. In spite of this curtailment of output we added 499,010 feet (actual super measurement) to our stocks over the three months ended'March 31 last. We now find it necessary to further reduce cutting, and we propose, subject to your approval, to work five days of eight hours per week, the working time to bo between 7.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday inclusive. The alternative would he a four-day week of the ordinary eight and a half hour days." in reply Mr Phelan wrote: "I am ill receipt of your favour notifying that owing to the state of the industry it will be necessary to curtail working hours. We quite appreciate the grave difficulties you are labouring under owing to the continued depression. We realise that something must be done, and believe that the working hours submitted by you will render less hardship to aIL concerned. On behalf of the union I tender your firm our sincere thanks for the consideration you hayo at all times given to those you employ. We hope that things will soon take a turn for"the better." Mr Phelan said the position as stated by Mr Coupe was common throughout the district, and advice had been received early in the month that _ a Mamaku mill had been forced to discharge 13 men and work a four-day week. His union had urged the Government to prohibit importations of foreign timber, which was the bugbear of the industry to-day. "Every mill in the district is either closed or working short time," he further explained. "Unemployment among mill workers has been more acute during the last 12 months/than it has been for two or .three years. Not only are we concerned with , the unemployment problem, but another factor to be considered is the loss entailed through mill machinery lying idle." Mr Phelan said he was aware that large stocks of foreign timbers had recently arrived in Auckland and were now stored on the Auckland wharves. That, however, was going on continually. Just what the importations meant to New Zealand could be gauged from the fact that every 100 feet of timber imported meant the los9 of a day's work to a timber worker in New Zealand.