Wholesale Factory Dismissals

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 88, 14 April 1938, Page 7

Wholesale Factory Dismissals

Effect of United Kingdom Imports CRITICAL POSITION IN CANTERBURY Per Press Association. , CHRISTCHURCH, April. 13. Hundreds of elcthlng-trade employees in Canterbury alone have been dismissed within the last month or so because of the critical position which has arisen in the industry. When the Australian tariff was recently adjusted to protect local industries from outside competition in face of increased cost, nothing was done to check United Kingdom imports. These are now flooding the country in what js described as record proportions, and local manufacturers have consequently been forced off the market. This applies to all branches of the trade. Matters have come to a head in the past month, culminating in wholesale dismissals on a grand scale, although the position has been growing steadilly worse since the end of last yeaj. Concerning the situation, manufacturers are planning a combined Dominionwide protest to the Government, seeking a revision of the United Kingdom tariff to compensate them for the increased costs they have been called to bear. Last week one of the city’s largest concerns dismissed 60 employees, having previously paid off 25 last Christmas. In a general notice to the staff the management pointed out the circumstances, and said that it was impossible to continue to employ the full staff. |j A big woollen facory dismissed many hands recently for the same reason. Many of those who lost their jobs were married men with families, and some had worked for the firm for upwards of 20 years. Without exception factories in the district have had to shorten staff. Smaller workrooms have dismissed on an average between five and 20 employees each. Evidence is now being gathered of the extent to which local Industries are affected so that it may be placed before the Government in support of a request for prompt action-