LABOUR MARKET.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue LXXVI, 1 July 1908, Page 8

LABOUR MARKET.

UNEMPLOYED IN WELLINGTON. BUILDING AND ALLIED TRADES SLACK. Because there is temporary slackness in certain trades, it does not follow that anything approaching a slump is imminent or probable. Those people who cry out at every possible sign of bad thnes, unwittingly accentuate the trouble they desire to avoid. But, on the other hand, there is no good likely to be achieved by shutting one's eyes to facts, and no need whatever for blinking the fact that work in. Wellington is much harder to obtain just now, in Several avenues of trade, than it has been for several years past. In the building trades there are many men out of work, and the prospects are not promising for the immediate future. To-day a Post representative interviewed several responsible officials of unions, and elicited information upon J which the foregoing general summary of the position, is Dased, together with some statements as to the probable causes of the slackness. UNEMPLOYED PAINTERS. Mr. F. Greyling, secretary of the Wellington Painters and Decorators' Union, when questioned as to a statement made to the Benevolent Trustees yesterday by an applicant for relief, replied that when the applicant said there were fifty painters out of work in Wellington he underestimated the case, if anything. There were over thirty unemployed painters signing the unemployment book now, and he knew that many unemployed painters did not trouble to do so. This morning he saw a dozen "standing on the corner," who had not signed it, and had not been near him. What was the good of coming, they would ask, when the employers had baid there was nothing doing now, and not likely to. be much for a month's time? "It is not unusual, though, for this time of year?" was a question pnt at this stage, but Mr. Greyling dissented. Things were worso now than they had been for the last five or six years. There were a great many men collected here now, attracted by the briskness of work experienced up to the present winter, and consequently the unemployed list was much about what it used to be in slack time. Painting work has been short for five or six weeks past in practically all branches, whereas in previous years the hands were wanted ail the winter through. The completion of tram-car building had made a difference to the painters, and it was the opinion of some that the possession of these big contracts had induced coachbuilders to let country orders go begging, with the result that these were not now available when they would be welcomed. WORK SCARCE. Mr. G. Lightfoot, secretary of the Carpenters and Joiners' Union, summed up the position as "the worst we have had for years, so far as our trade is concerned." Work had been scarce for the last three months, and from twenty to thirty were now signing the unemployment book. There were more than thirty out of work. Then, further, a lot were leaving Wellington. Two or three were going to Sydney by this week's boat, and several were shifting quarters to the districts along the Main Trunk railway line; to various towns between Marion and Ohakune. Until lately there were fairly brisk times at Marton, but men back from there this morning say that trade there has fallen off greatly. Three weeks ago they could not get enough men ; now they cannot get rid of them. Monthly reports from all New Zealand centres are received by the Wellington branch of this union, and those for last month (May) disclose a duller tone throughout the land. All four cities are quoted as showing a falling-off in briskness of demand for labour — "overstocked" is the trade term — and the few that are already to^ hand for the month which closed yesterday indicate further slackness. Gisborne, which was spoken of in newspapers as being especially busy during June, is now written of by the union's local representative as "overstocked," and information is to hand that the biggest firm of builders in that town has discharged twenty hands lately. Timaru, too, admittedly busy in building until lately, is now being rushed by Christchurch unemployed. Reverting to the Wellington aspect of affairs, Mr. Lightfopt said there was a good deal of work going on in the city, but there were too many men available to- do it. The surplus of labour was caused by the great diminution in suburban building. There was not twenty-five per cent, of the work going on in the suburbs that there was at this time last year. He did not claim to be speaking authoritatively, but he believed the cause was the limitation of credit and the excessively high land values. Financial institutions wanted much more than the customary margin^ of value when making advances on suburban lands, and it was said that money could not be got now on these securities, under 7£ per cent. Chiefly for this reason, speculative - building had almost ceased in the suburbs. A query as to whether plasterers and plumbers were as slack as the carpenters, elicited the information that plumbers were in much better case. There were some big buildings to be completed in the city, and there was still a good demand for plumbers. Mr. F. Brown, secretary of the Building Trades Labourers' Union, said there was a lot of unemployment amongst the local labourers. Borne of the married men in his union had. been out of work for three or four weeks, and* the broken time and "intermittent nature of their employment at the best of times prevented them from saving money. Consequently there was already some distress being experienced amongst them, and the prospects of work gave no hone of early improvement. A great many men were coming to Wellington from the country districts, and from the South Island, thus swelling the number of unemployed. The suburban demand for labourers had fallen off greatly this winter. Three months ago there were 350 men employed in the suburbs ; today there might be only fifty. There was a. good deal of work going on in the city, but theTe l were too many men about. He knew of fully fifty unemployed labourers. Mr. W. H. Westbrooke, speaking of the coachbuilding trade, said there was plenty of work in the city shops ; but here, too, there was on excess oi' labour offering, consequent upon blackness of work in the suburbs. THE ENGINEERING TRADE. Work in the iron trades is reported to bo less brisk than it has been, and an engineer, spoken to on the subject, estimated that there were between thirty and forty engineers unemployed at the present time, some of them being reduced to working on the wharves.

_ Messrs. Dalgety and Co. advertise particulars of a property they have for sale at Otaki. On Friday, 10th July, Messrs. Harcourt and Co. will sell by auction a five-room-ed villa residence, No. 26, Buller-street. Tho land has a frontage of 35ft by a depth of 138 ft 2in. Also a vacant allotment in Central-terrace, No. 23, having a frontage of 50ft, also 49ft to Glasgowstreet, by a depth of 121 ft. Full particulars as to terms and conditions of sale may" be obtained from tho auctioneers on application. Tho annual dinner of tho Wellington Accountant gtuclonti 1 Society will bo hsld tQ-mojxow evening.