TRADE AND LABOUR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1710, 29 December 1919, Page 6

TRADE AND LABOUR.

CONDITIONS ABROAD. j N.Z. IRONFOUNDERJS IMPRESSIONS, j CIiJUSTCIICRCU, Dec. 22. | Mr G. Scott, of the well known (inn of ironfounde'rs and engineers of this city, who has just returned from a trip through Luglaud and America, had some interesting icmarks to make, to a reporter this afternoon in regard to trade and labour conditions in < the Old Country and the United States. "The iron trade," ho said, "is absolutely up to its eyes in work. Every industry is full of orders for the next six months, and [lie lolling mills will not take an'order and guarantee its completion under Hie haffyear. While in England I wanted to place an order for a few tons of small round iron, but not a single mill would take it. 1 tried to get steel, and not a mill ,wouhl take r.n order either. It requires expert men to turn out this class of work, and so many have gone west in the war and so many have been disabled that thero is a very serious , shortage of skilled men to do the work; I ' sent a cablegram to America for the few • tons of goods I wanted, but the same reply j came back from there—namely, • that it i would take six months before J could have the order tilled. I again cabled, and asked j if it was possible to purchase for me the small quantity of goods l-wanied in the open market, and the reply I got htatcd that it would cost me 150 dollars'per ton for tin; 1 round iron. At the present tim* in England I the Disposal Board are busy selling oil' hun-1 dreds of thousands of pounds' worth of Gov- ( eminent goods bought for the war, but every hundredweight of round iron seemed »to have been picked up. 1 went to a great iimny places and sales, and only saw some at I'i'.iiboiough, unci this, unluckily, had 'Dun- j edin' displayed on it. Another New Zed- ' land firm had been first in the field. Most iron goods were selling at high prices. Plate was going ut £22 to £24 per ton at . the open dispersal sales, and yet it was quoted at £IU per ton at the mills. The fact is that manufacturers would rather pay high prices for material and keep their works going than wait for lower-priced goods and possibly hold up their staffs. This sort of thing is taking place all over Kngland. and the state of affairs is likely to last for some time. 1 don't think there is the slightest chaiieo' that prices in the. iron industry will fidi for it long while, r.o .- it, will lie; quite useless waiting lor a drop, j If a man' has'to.buy.'li" might, as wellbuy i now, and have dolte'wjthi it." >

While in England and America, Mr G. Scott, of Christchurch, enquired very carefully into industrial conditions, and came back, as he said to a .Press reporter, "a changed man." lie saw enough to satisfy him that the old relations between employer and worker will have to be changed if there is to be industrial peace. A few. of the corporations and large employers recognised that Ihe workers must have a 'wage sufficient to keep them decently in food, shelter and clothes, with a little extra for savings, but many of the smaller employers still tried to grind the -worker down. : This class. of ■ employer , and the profiteer .wc.ro .the 'cause of ' all the- labour unrest in the Old Country. Personally, he. felt a , good-".deal ,of. sympathy with the porters .and ■; shunters,•- who >took-^part',in* t he 'l'big'." railway-.'-.'strike'.. y -The,- 'Wages •'' of these, mojt-fyy ho/could.;-' be •'.earf!y*jre/jlaeed—. were, cut', down,'-but' drivers ..arid 'firemeji, were fief t* alone. ,'.Th'is was fahVays-the' v way—thevpt'oploV- engaged ' in avclassVof-.labour."that-coukt>noUprotect-' itself-Avere imposed*ori3hc'othe'rs severely alone. Mr Scott expressed himself as being much impressed with certain "welfare work" carried out in the United States for the betterment of employees'. working conditions,'and indicated that he intended to carry out Such work himself at his works.