THE LABOUR MARKET.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 300, 19 December 1922, Page 3

THE LABOUR MARKET.

AN ANNUAL REVIEW. GREAT PROSPERITY FORECASTED. Employment in Auckland during the last 12 months does not on the whole seem to have been as good as in previous years, according to union officials interviewed this morning. Some trades and industries have kept an average number of hands fully employed, but the waterside workers, general labourers, drivers, and hardware employees seemed to have experienced a raflier trying time, particularly in the winter. However, matters have improved considerably recently and the New Year promises to bring with it greater prosperity. Regarding the painters, employment has not been as good as in the previous year owing to the fact that there has been a large amount of ferro concrete work in Auckland which does not require their services. There has also bfen an influx of painters from the Old Country and elsewhere, and this additional labour has also affected employment. However, during the last couple of months there has been a great increase in building and this has provided work for a large number. The house shortage, according to a prominent unionist, is still acute and if an attempt was made to meet requirements in this matter everything would be booming as far as painters and decorators were concerned. There was a little slackness at present, owing to the holiday season, but on the whole there was a fair amount of work offering and the prospects for the coming year were fairly bright. THE BU\CKSMITHL\-G TRADE. I Another union official stated that his experience throughout the year in regard to the various unions he acted lor was that work had Ibeen good, lake, for instance, the blacksmith* They had been steadily employed all the time. An emp.oyer requueu a fioorman, 'but it is impossible to lincl , one. There is not a man on the books I out of employment at present, and it has (been so right through the year. l In the hardware trade there has been more unemployment than any others that he bad to do with, due to the I shortening of bands at the commence- I ment of the year owing to the slump. Business, however, has greatly improved and those engaged are , k . fully extended. In the tannino- indus- ! try generally the men have afso been ' fully employed, but towards Christmas i there is always a slackening on" owing ! to the tanneries closing down for the holidays. Gum workers were kept very busy throughout the vcar. This is a semi-skilled trade, but owing to the (business doing men who weTc formerly employed at it and were following other callings have had to be drawn on and also new men engaged. During the winter the general labourera experienced a bad time, ibut in the last few months matters have improved to such an extent that there is not a member of the union out of employment at present. Jn regard to the drivers there were a number of tinemployed during the winter, but there has been a considerable improvement since then and things are much (better now. The secretary stated that they were looking forward to a busy time after the holidays. In connection with the drivers and the labourers a great tribute is paid to the City Council for the way it has cbeen providing work. "I feel very thankful," said one, "for if it had not been for the City Council we would not have had such a good Christmas. It has certainly assisted us to hold our own and make Christmas brighter." BRIGHTER PROSPECTS. The year as far as carpenters are concerned commenced rather slack, but for the last three or four months employment has been good. There is at present a slight falling off owing to the holiday 6eason, but the prospects for the New Year are bright, for there is a good i deal of building going on. "The year 1921 has been probably the I worst experienced on the waterfront by j regular workers for the last ten years," I remarked the secretary of the Auckland , • Waterside Workers' Union, Mr. O. Mc- ! Brine. The regular number of men had j been in excess of requirements of the • port, and the work had been extra casual. Owing to the slump there had < not been nearly as much cargo handled, and with the larger number of men offer- ■ ing the average wages for the period * had been very low, amounting in the case of men less known, and. therefore, not so frequently employed, to consider- ' ably less than a living wage. For the : last month things had been better, but, 4 still, with the exception of a few hours, | there has been no shortage of labour. ' The prospects for the New Year were [ somewhat brighter than in 1922. but there was little doubt if things did not improve a substantial number of the*:' more effifficient men would leave the waterfront to seek other employment. ===== ' I