LABOUR CONDITIONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 721, 21 January 1910, Page 3

LABOUR CONDITIONS.

. AN OFFICIAL REVIEW. . ■ WELLINGTON. • .. The ," Labour . Department's ' Journal contains the following notes on labour conditions in December:— '

In' Wellington trade generally has been good, and retailors report a busy month. Building operations during the : earlier part of. the month wero very busy, but slackened:off, towards: the end. /.Clothing, .trades, : ;have been exceptionally .busy—in' fact, employers have had * difficulty in getting - orders, out..- . There is every in-/ dication. of briskness in trade generally continuing for-some ■ time. :/.■ ■ ' Building trades: busy- during the beginning ,of the month, but. a slackeniig-ofE during the end was noticeable, probably due'to the holidays. Carpentry; and -joinery-busy; plenty of work-in hand, and tradesmen are fairly fully. ■employed. There, are; the names of a, ,few/ tradesmen, however, still-, on the "unemployed" register. ; / Painting fairly: busy; report .that.'they are quite.satisfied with/the;amonnt, of: trade being -done. - Plastering , fairly, ,busy., Plumbing and. gasfitting fairly busy; hands • working full time. : Stonemasonry fairly, busy, and, no hands are out of employment. • . .

, 1 Woodw-orking trades: Boxmaking good; factories are kept going full time. : Cabfnetmaking and upholstering very brisk; a. few/good, cabinetmakers - and upholsterers/are,'required. .- Coopering— I Trade very good, and likely, to continue - so' for some - time. - - Sash . and door' factories; fairly good; /a slight improvement is being experienced. _ Sawmilling—No improvement; trade ,is very , quiet. Woodturning, etc., brisk; plenty of work in' hand,/ and. factories working full time. ■/ Engineering trades: Boilennaking fair; about'/oii a par..jrith last, month.. Brass and copper-smithing fair; no improvement/being 1 /experienced.:. *, Electrical. engineering fairly ;busy. and. improving. Fitting 'and turning .fair,: with little or no change/ from last monthi Iron and .brass' moulding • fair. Baiigemaking—No'. .improvement; hade' generally: is-.qniet. ':. :.Leather : trades: Bootmaldng '(factories) .jery"brisk; factories working; full time, am! occupiers'' are .experiencing difficulty , in ' getting hands. ..: Bootmaking (repairshops);' busy;/plenty. of. work Zooming : in. Saddlery ; and' harness-making /very 1 good; an/;, improvement :on' the .. corresponding month of last year. ■■ .. . .' , : '■/ Clothing , trades:' Dressmaking 1 and' millinery veryibrisk; factories working a'good' deal of / overtime; ;/: ShirtmaKng—An im'provemest -'.is ,- 'no.w. - -being experienced. Tailoring (factories)/' fairly busy; ers' express'themselves :as. quite satined. Tailoring, (cfger)- very, busy;/all . handskept ,busy3Woollen-milling' fairly busy; hands;: fully■:employed. l •, Retail' tradesClothing, boots,'drapery, /and. groceries—' Good ■ trade . has / been- done, and shopkeepers; express themselves as quite- sattefied.. Printing trades: Bookbinding and printing—.Good- trade - being /done./' Meat-' 'ft-eeziig,' ; eto.:':,,Taniiihg, curiying, and felbnongering- good, and likely to continue *so for same ' tipio.;/ Slaughtering, freezing,' and preserving very good. Coachbuilding .trades ;:Blacksmithing very brisk.'. Coach, - carriage, and tram-car building 1 very /brisk. -'. Cycle 1 : and ■, motor trades: Fairly good trade has been done, and., quite oil a par with that of tho corresponding , month of last -year.: ■ '..' Unskilled .labour: The number of men applying slackened" off considerably from day . to day. . '■• There has ; : been , no.: diffi-' culty ■. in placing - skilled men' - and ; others in/the country, districts, and even hands, who,have; not. had any/.previous■ training have' been 1 : in demand; /as farmers,"- ,in. despair:' of getting, skilled; labour, - have willingly taken on." such' men/: provided they: were, anxious t to./learn.'■' Most: of::the. immigrants recently arrivtx! have luul nodifficulty /whatsoever "in obttyning coin-" try?:work;' and from reports received-'they' seem to have,given;satisfaction to em-, ployers. • / There does .not seem to bo much demand'■ for labourers .in town,'' but; a: yery /large'vnumber of men -have: found employment in consequence : of :the increased activity, of the building, trades.! The ; wool-stores are .'also • workiiiß- "with" Jargely-iiicreased.'staffs;- has rosuited- in easing the local .market con-, siderably. _■ During tho period 1 144 marned and 'single men were Assisted .to .employment ;. no; fewer than ill of, this num-' -TOr. were;:.'^nt "employers.' 1 AUCKLAND.

• There has,fen quite a'noticeable improvement .in;all branches of, trade. Many, factories were,, working all, the -overtime' the: law-. permitted them ,to wort, 'and many business, men have assured the Department that the trade of 1909 was quite equal to that of 1908; Theresas been a marked improvement in tlio • building trade, but thero are a number of tradesmen still out of employment—due/, no doubt,: to; .the fact that many! of. the buildings which; are in the • course of' construction, are not sufficiently: advanced to employ.ithe.number, of tradesmen who: are'already lierer'- /' . , : . ■ CHRISTCHTJRCH. i , The; very, prosperous' state of Iho farming industry is reflcctcd in the other industries. A largo' amount; of . overtime has been.worked. .Business at the freezing: works was disappointing early in 'the month,; but improved later. THe building .trade shows no improvement; .'. The labour market generally has been very .buoyant, fanners availing themselves more'freely of/the-: services' of'. the . Department '. for securing hands. . . ; .

?'.■■■■■ ' ': DUNEDIN. ■/-. Trade .and-/business .■ have, been very, gpod,' and, if anything, -, an improvement . on'.' what. obtained in ; the / corresponding period of last year., Business generally has boon steadier,-; and there has been. a wider .distribution of trade.; In factories ■there has been /fair ■< activity.'.; Outside labour .has been -.well'•'absorbed.'," At the same time.last year•.it'was.reported' that 'a; considerable.;,number 'of '; yonng.- men were idle; , but this'■ is not .the case. ,at present—due ! mainly/to . the -, considerable amount of country' work :which,. has offered. /- ,; ./''■- / : PKOVINCIAL TOWNS. ■••'Bepo]rts;frpm''' the smaller towns in the 'Wellington l - and. adjacent; provinces .are .generally, satisfactory.;. In- • Masterton business has not approached' the: standard, of' expectation, but : in. the surrounding country' farming operations'have engaged a consider'able ' number - of • ■ ;