CHEAP LABOUR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15922, 7 May 1912, Page 8

CHEAP LABOUR.

CHINESE AND THE FURNITURE TRADE. APPREHENSION IN CHRISTCHURCH. The possibility of Chinese encroachment in the furnituro trade of Christchurch is giving the manufacturers food for serious thought, as in other parts of the world, and particularly m Australia, the industry has been considerably weakened by Chinese cheap labour and the production of flimsy furniture, to all outward appearances as good- as if it had been made by European labour at award rates. The Chinaman, ,t is stated, has a rare faculty for evading labour laws, and very stringent regu ations have been framed to b " n S> im into line with other workers m;Au«*r«lia, but in many cases ™ thollt , e the Last evening representatives of tho furnituro trade met in the rooms of to Employers' Association to discuss the Ability of a Chinese invasion** tho £kde. fhe meeting was a private one and no report was available, as those interested have not yet formulated a plan of campaign. , ~ • As far as can be^ascertainedI tgerew ,10 cause for anxiety in *|>~£b church furniture trade definite reports emanate from welling ton? where* word has been recoived by the secretary of a Wellington Union that Chinese have secured preS in Christchurch for the purose.of manufacturing furniture. lurmturo unions throughout the dominion an* employers of "furniture are said to bo up in arms about this, and they are combining to ask fhe Minuter of Labour to take steps to prevent the Orientals opening in the kusineM. " Tlie fact is." said a. Wellington man , " that they would ™.nthe_trade. In Sydnev there are over 1000 Chinese engaged "in the furniture trade, and the same number in Melbourne. The effect of their having been allowed into those places is appalling and disastrous. The wav they evade the eight hours law is that thay work things in three separate shifts. One lot does the furniture work, while another does the cooking, etc., and the third shift is sleeping. Then the cooks turn to tho furniture work, and those in bed give place to the shift which has ]tist left the workshop, and go. on doing the cooking, and so on. Thus the business is kept going the whole time and the whites cannot compete with them. Some time ago tho Hon J. A. Millar introduced a measure which would hayo prevented this invasion, but the Bill was thrown out by the Upper House. Probablv at an early date a strong deputation will wait on the Minister, and he may be asked to re-introduce such a Bill, but I think he has power to deal with the matter as the law stands."