DULL TIMES

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 128, 30 May 1914, Page 9

DULL TIMES

ON THE LABOUR MARKET. Al.l. l'RAni-> AIT'Kri'KI) IX Al rlxl.ANLi. HI'N'I.REDS ul-' I'NK.MPI.-nVKI).

ing otf iv the avenues of employment. out apparently tiie next lew mouth,, wiil , i witness a period of -tr,-- never boh,re experieiiceii in Aii-khilid. Xlr.-adv. both' ,in skilled and itnskil!e,| tiades. there iploycl. am! when i "Mar" r.-presenta tile did a round oi the union otliee. at the 'iraeles !la!l thte niornilig he was furnished in each ami even in-ian.-e witli the came -i„rv of li.|.-.l7imes and little doing. "A.N AI.I.IHU Ml SUMP." "It i.- not an ordinate «inter -lackIneas. but a gcierul all -round slump." -aid Xlr. Arthur Ko-s.-i. w he, speaking of the position generally. lie went ~v to s M _v thai thole we-re hundreds of men out nf employment in Auckland at the present lime, and il wa- likely that a.- ---! Winter deepened ilu- situation wnulil he- ; come mure acute. It is the usual thing ' for -a good deal of unskilled labour lo ■ drift into the city at this time of the !year. bnt iiidependein of this 1 lie position is exceedingly serious. In fact, it is in the skilled trades that the trouble i- moist noticeable. The .lose of the Kxliiliition threw a good many people eiut nf employment. Then there has been a considerable inlliix from .'a- Hid ( iiiin- • i try. and people arriving from Home after . a hard winter lind it an additional hardjship tei roach Auckland during the win- | ter mouths, when practically every trade j reports a period of unprecedented slack- | ncas. i Till. BISHOP INTKIU'I-'.IJI.S. Tlic strike, of course, has had it - 1 aftermath, but .union secretaries arc of the opinion that only on the waterfronl lis there any direct evidence of this, lie- ! ceiltly Mr. lbjsser. al tin- request ~f ihe | Bishop of Auckland, prepared a staleI mem. indicating wti,u the position ii amongst waterside worker-. Mr. Rosser I compiled a li-t. showing that those I denied entrance lo tin- new Waterside [Workers l'n ion included ;,ii men whoj had worked for years on Ihe waterfront. some of them having a record of 40 years to their credit. These men. with* ill-j fiondciits totalling over 1011, had been shin out from their legitimate means of livelihood, 'liie Bishop, il is understood. is interceding on behalf of these men and their families. MXX GOINi; in Al STKAI.IA. | Referring lo trades which are usually I busy right through the year. Mr. Kosser pointed out that in building operations I there is now a noticeable lull, with the j result that carpenters. bricklayers,"! painters, plumbers, and others arc complaining of quiet limes. In the couch-1 building trade, work was very .-lack. The big firms were reducing hand.-, and tariff reform was necessary if the advent of the motor car was nol W have its effect on those engaged iv thi. industry. Kvcn ill the printing trade business I showed a falling off. and liookbinders and I letterpress machinists were making for | Australia. Bl U_l>lNt; TR_\l>E SI,._CK. I Mr. Tom Bloodxvorth. secretary of the .(. _rpenters' l'nion, tsiid that although i tile union non-employment book only | indicated 40 men out of work, there mere liv reality a great many more. It had [ beo Q sugge_teil. he added, that tin- now award was possibly the reason for bisI employment. but the real cause, tin I doubtcdly. was that nioot of t-io big • buildings in course of erection in the , ehy had now be.- n completed. A good many people ha.l com,, te, Auckland, at , tracteed 'by work offering iv eeiin.vt.ioii with the K__biiion. and had helped to 1 swell t.he present list of unemployed. 'Hie position was certa.inlv wor-.- than usual. SIXTY PKll UAY. i " I havo an average of "ill to <til> uppiitstnts for work coming here per day. •said Air. Tom I_ong. esccrotary of the lloUd and _-esU-.ura.nt l_i.pl o vow' l'nion. In addition, he added, there xvere meuir | born of l-he union out of xvork who made 5 i tlieir ino/uiricß by •telcpheine. [t w_ti .us. ■'i tomary. at this time of the year, when • i the tourist season t.la<-kened off. :,, tind 'i a good many hotel and boardinghouse • I employer's coming from Itotorua. and ' | clsiewheTe to A_rk:land. but this :'.iot ' | alone could _i_>t ajieount for the great 1 | number of iinetrrploycd in his un : nn at ' j the present time.