THE LABOUR QUESTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 78, 31 March 1908, Page 5

THE LABOUR QUESTION.

"IS THESE A.DEARTH?" g THE IMMIGRATION PROPAGANDA. a i I Manufacturers in certain quarters : have been protesting that the dearth of skilled labour throughout the Dominion is I such that local industries are severely _ handicapped. The only expedient, it is J asserted, is the encouragement of emigration from other countries. This proposal meets with strong opposition from £ .the -Trades Unions, and in the absence 1 of statistical proof, other tbau that sup- 1 plied by the Government Labour Bureaus, c it is difficult to ascertain what the actual position is. Employers urge that spe- 1 cific cases are easily to-be found in which J local industries are suffering for want of c labour, and big orders are compelled to j remain unfilfilled. The contention of those opposed to immigration proposals is that . ; this demand is practically confined to girl. ' labour. One local employer's complaint was that the quantity was there, but not the quality, and that the Government's policy of assisting labour within the Dominion had an utterly demoralising - tendency. Mr. Shanaghan, of the Labour Department in Auckland, when seen by a "Star" representative this morning, strongly Tesented the statement emanating from a lbcal manufacturer that yhe Government : followed a system of "spoon-feeding" those in search of employment. Mr. Shanaghan says that for some considerable time past business in Auckland has been very brisk in every line, but there has been no excessive demand either one way or the other. "Trade," he says, "fluctuates a lot, and whereas there may be a shortage in one particular line oneweek, there may be a surplus of applicants the next. There is no serious shortage of competent labour, and it just as often happens that the skilled labourer comes to the ofiice looking for employment, as the employer, On the other hand, comes looking for labour. As a matter of fact," added Mr. Shanaghan, "there is no excessive demand one way or the other, and things are just abdut equal." Mr. Arthur ROsser, President of the Auckland Trades and Labour Council, informed a "Star" representative that the question of unres_ricted immigration was opposed by the Trades Council, and at its last meeting a very important resb-' lution bad been carried, and would be forwarded to the conference to be held in Wellington during the first week of Parliament. This was to the effect "That the Government should _ake steps to introduce legislation on the Australian and American dines, by prohibiting the introduction of labour into New -Zealand under contract." "While we are willing :to welcome imrrdgration of the right : sort," said the President of the Trades Council, "we consider that capitalists i should be. prevented from flooding the , market with a big supply of labour, and ' thus bring down wages, though the cost of living remains as high as ever. Fur- > ther than this, there is no justification I for the allegation that there is a serious . dearth of labour. Men come down to mc , from the country, with excellent credehi tials and experience, and I find it impos--1 sible to get positions for them. Immigrants from Australia and the Old Country are the same. Admittedly business generally is brisk, and the demand- in some classes very -keen, wit for the general prosperity of the country no one can wish to see it otherwise. I tbink the employers axe looking with regret upon the halcyon days of the late SO 1 -, when 1 an average of six men .could be found t looking for one job. As secretary of the - Tramways Union, I can say that there 1 are a large number of yoimg men who - want to. join the service, and there are i at present no less than 70 men on the - .pare list' of the company. What the '" employers generally seem to wish for is t a large reserve of casual labour, so that 1 they can employ men on and off, and select from a larger number of unemployed 1 than they at present find at their dis- '. posal."