AN OVER-CROWDED TRADE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15921, 6 May 1912, Page 8

AN OVER-CROWDED TRADE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir —With reforaice to tho letter relating to the " Ovo.r-erowded Trade," and signed "Young Draper," in your issue of May 2. I wish to say that perhaps "Young Draper" is in a position to speak. But if what he says about any sort of a tradesman and a decent scholar being able to earn from £3 to £3 os is true, could he give us the reason why so many drapers leave this dominion to go to Australia, whero the Union wage is not so high as the salary mentioned ? Perhaps he thinks that we can all bo first salesmen and heads of departments; but we cannot. That is the reason I am strongly in favour of a union—not if it were onlv to assist "Old Draper," but to assist tho salesmen who have to take third and fourth positions.—l am, etc MIDDLE-AGED DRAPER.