UNEMPLOYED DECREASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18206, 27 September 1922, Page 11

UNEMPLOYED DECREASE

EASIER POSITION REPORTED. DEMAND FOR FARM WORKERS IRON AND BUILDING TRADES The unemployment position in Auckland is becoming easier with tho advance of spring, but as yet there is no considerable movement in the demand for labour, and many men remain on the unemployed lists kept by the chief labour agencies. A steady inquiry for labour has come from country districts in recent weeks, the building trade is busy, and expects to be busier, while iron and steel workers are easier to place, duo mainly to the men absorbed on repairs to the Rona. "Wo have had not quite so many calling here in recent weeks. The ' old, .regular population,' especially, seems to have diminished." said an official in the Labour Department. He added that relief works at Rangiriri, Victoria Valley, and Tapu-Gumtown, all reading contracts, had absorbed a good many men. Among those unemployed, there appeared to be more of the floating population, people who called at- the office for a week or two and were not seen again. A fair number oi immigrants also called, but this was probably due to the fact tt>at they were instructed to report at the office when they first landed. 'lhe number of men awaiting employment as recorded in the' department's books during the past four months were as follows: — Heavy work. Light work Total. June 21 .. 2SB 98 386 July 22 „. 327 61 388 August 19 .. 312 40 352 Sept. 23 ..250 25 275 These figures indicate that unemployment reached its " peak" in midwinter, since when there has* been a drop of about 30 per cent. The proportion of light to heavy ■workers unemployed has also decreased considorablv. Of the 275 on the list at present, 131 are unskilled. 18 farm, 11 hotel, and 11 clerical workers. It was stated that there was a good demand for farm workers, particularly for lads, at 20s to 30s a week, and generally, as seasonal and of en-air work got into full swing, the position was expected to ease. - Salvation Army Shelter to be Closed. A similar account of labour conditions was given at the Salvation Armv Immigration Office Skilled farm workers war* iu brisk demand, and all the farm labourers who arrived on the last two vessels had been placed within a week. About a dozen men were still required for jobs offering, and a batch of letters on the table were to farmers saying there were no lads available for the work they were offering. In the town and suburbs it was still difficult to place men. The Lome Street shelter, which naa been supplying beds and two meals a day for the unemployed since June, will be closed next Monday morning. It was opened as a temporary measure to meet the emergency of winter and has been largely availed of. A notice has been posted in the marquee informing the men that they must make other arrangements after Monday. In short, tbey are placed on their own resources. * The number using the shelter has not decreased much lately, and most of the men are willing to work, but have not the qualifications for the country jobs which are offering. Others, it is stated, are unemployable. The bulk of the men are seamen and fire- - men who cherish a hope that the settlement of the various awardß before the Arbitration Court- may produce more occupation in their calling. At the Trades Hall, although no unemployment registers were available, the general impression was that, the position was easier in most One union secretary stated that he had beea unable to find an expert quarryman during the past week. Fifteen men wore wanted for a short-time job unloading timber, but he had. not been able to supply the demand. He agreed that the position was better than it had been.

lien Dismiss-id From 3fewmarket. " Had no immigrants come into our trades—iron aad steel—the employment position at present would be normal," said another union official. " There have been 100 new arrivals for our trade aJone and, besides that, men have come from Wellington looking for work. Thero is no question that the position is easier, the repairs to the Bona being largely responsible. We have one complaint, that the Government has been "dismissing from the Newmarket workshops men with 20 and 30 years' continuous- service. On Monday, one man with 23 years' service at Newmarket was told that his services were no longer required. He and others concerned have been classed as 'casuals' during their whole period of service." At the office of the Returned Soldiers' Association, the unemployed list was stated to be smaller than it had •/een. Many people had been inqvuring for men for short-time jobs, chiefly in the country. Little change in th* employment position was noted at the Repatriation Office. The,average number of men placed each week was only two. Last week there wero 72 on the waiting list and 65 this week. Of the latter number, 25 had registered as fit only for light work. RELIEF IK WELLINGTON. SUBSCRIPTIONS TO' .LOAN. [BT TILEGKArH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday.

A ready response is being made to th* • invitation issued by the City Council last week for the purchase- of debentures in connection with the loan of £12,000 for the relief of unemployment in the city. Up to noon to-day a total of £6000 had been either paid or promised to the city treasury. The largest parcel taken up was one of £2COO purchased by a locnl firm. The balance has been largely promised in the city, but several country firms and individuals have taken small lots. The debentures are for £100, interest being fixed at 5£ per cent. The loan will have a currency of 10 years. Commenting to-day upon the state of unemployment in the city, the Mayor, Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., expressed gratification that at last the distress was being greatly alleviated. He pointed out that within the last two or three weeks new relief works had gone a long way toward breaking the back of the trouble. There were now 349 men engaged on various city jobs, apart from reserves' improvements, while the inspector of reserves had about 50 men employed. In addition to these, some 40 men were still employed in the cutting of the large canal at the Evans Bay power station site. This gave a total of 445 men who had been ts.ken on, in addition to the ordinary corporation staffs, merely for the purpose of affording them relief.