A GOOD YEAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 306, 26 December 1924, Page 6

A GOOD YEAR.

THROUGH LABOUR'S EYES. ONE DISCORDANT NOTE. THE SECOXD DIVISION" STRIKE. ' "Not a bad year at all; might have tern better, but could easily have been The above opinion, as expressed by a, prominent official, just about suma"un the position when the year 1924 j. reviewed through Labour spectacles During the twelve months only one dig. cordant note was struck, and' this w as in April, when the second division men of the A.S.R..S. went on strike for a fortnight with the object of forcing the Government to concede a «U"ht increase in pay, and altered conditions of work. From the very outset little hope of success was 'promised the second division men, as they failed to get the support of the engine-drivers and firemen, and without the latter "coming ojt" the strikers were doomed to defeat. Though disorganised, the railway service was never completely tied up, and though only a couple o"f trains ran for a day or two following the strike, additional trains were steaming out each day. and eventually the strikers realised that their action would avail them nothing, and the strike was declared oft. Two branches of workers who, per- ' haps, have not had a sufficiency o f employment are those engaged ia the boot and clothing trades, and in the ease of the latter the particular ones to suffer were those engaged in the making of costumes. The reason offered, and no doubt it is true, is that large' . stocks of boot* and clothing have been imported almost continuously during the [ twelve months, and, as much of the imported article is "shoddy -, and can be sold much cheaper than goods of local manufacture, many factories were seriously affected, and had to work either short lime, or with a reduced staff. All other ranks of labour, and par--1 ticularly those engaged in the building • trade, have experienced something of a ! boom year, and so keen has been the ; demand for plasterers, bricklayers and I carpenters that the majority of them have been receiving rates of pay above those fixed in the awards governing their trades. Probably at no period j since the Arbitration Act came into existence has there been less disquietude j amongst what may be generally termed , the workers than during the now closing year, and the reason is not difficult to ' find. In the first place there has been, with only one or two exceptions, a plcntitude of employment in both town j and country, and under ordinary circumstances any tradesman or able- ! bodied worker should have experienced . little or no difficulty in obtaining work. p In the iron industries things may not , have been good, and many skilled j workers in the engineering trade have . not made good time. The same remark i applies to motor mechanics, but it is perhaps not so much a slackness of work , that has caused this, but- more the fact [ that these trades are swamped with I journeymen. t Generally speaking, the year has been - a good one, but on the whole the j workprs are not- contented., V.'hite good ■ wages have Lccn earned, ti.ey hay» i found ii difficult, in fact, almost impujI sii)lc. to saie a little for the "rainy day," which is always liable to cone along. The one growl coming from the workers is that of house rert, which iis considered far too high for the . working man whose a\crage weekly earnings would never be more than £o, . probably less. It is recognised that the high rents give the worker no chance to get on his feet, as the saying I goes, but how to overcome the difficulty '. is a matter not easy to solve. As usual each year there were numerous instances of unioiH of workers , seeking increased rates of pay and improved working conditions, and only ia rare instances did the disputes reach the Arbitration Court, in almost every case a complete settlement, which invariably saw the workers siven an increase, being reached at the Council of Conciliation. Speaking generally, the relationship between employers and employees has been exceptionally good, and it is questionable if in any other part of the Dominion more harmony exists than in Auckland. The prospects for the incoming year are decidedly promising. ]t is quite certain that Auckland is not going to stand still, and with the development and carrying into eflect of various municipal and local bodies' schemes, the laying of the main highways, the hydroelectric activities, not to mention the prosperous general condition oE the primary industries, the worker has every reason to feel easy about the year . 192.3.