TRADE COMMISSION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8366, 28 February 1913, Page 8

TRADE COMMISSION.

DOMESTIC SERVANTS SUGGESTIONS TO MEET GROWING DEMAND. CONSERVATION OF COAL. Press Association. DUNEDIN, February 27. The Dominions Royal Commission continued its sittings in Dunedin today. DEMAND FOR DOMESTICS. Lady McLean and Mrs Lindo Ferguson, appearing to give evidence as to the demand lor domestic servants, presented a written paper. It ran thus: u The need for an increased supply of domestic servants in the Dominion has been very marked for some years, and is at present exceedingly acute. The suggestion that the shortage in domestic servants was due to the greater attraction of factory work does not explain the position, The factories cannot obtain sufficient hands, and the difficulty is that there are not sufficient women m the Dominion to meet the requirements of tho community. The results of immigration are to lessen the stress, but the numbers immigrated are totally inadequate to meet the demand. The shortage of domestic servants is having a serious effect on the health and well-being of the women of the Dominion, and it is recognised that it has a restraining effect on the birth-rate. There is a considerable demand' for specialised servants, such as are said to be difficult to procure at Home, and of late years attempts have been made to secure this class of domestic by syndicates working in association with the British Women’s Emigration Association. The results are stated to have been very satisfactory in Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury. Our own syndicate has not been established long enough for us to have received material benefit, and our prospects of doing so are not encouraging, as tlic B-W.E.A. devote their energies mostly to Canada, and do not see their way to send us the number wo require. THE COOK-GENERAL. , “The type of servant most widely useful in the Dominion is the oook-gene-ral, but there is a) large opening for country-bred girls who would adapt themselves to country life. If it is impossible for us to get trained servants, it may be possible to organise a scheme whereby untrained or partly trained girls should be fitted for duties here, li girls can be sent out between the ages of fifteen to nineteen, and can have six months’ in colonial ways ( there would bo no difficulty in finding work for them. This class of girl would probably remain in domestic service for five or six years before marrying, and thus do more to supply tho labour market than the importation of a similar number of girls at-the age of twenty-five, who perhaps would marry after two years’ service. A scheme of this sort would involve the establishment of a training institution for the Dominion from which girls_ would be drafted out, after their novitiate, to the various centres. The institution could be made largely self-supporting by laundry work. The supervision of the girls after leaving could be delegated to sub-committees in the various centres. If our Government saw their way to give increased facilities for nomination, it is desirable that they should bo brought prominently before the notice of settlers. There axe throughout the Dominion many Irish and Scotch settlers who should he able to influence the class of country-bred girl eminently suited to adapt herself to the . needs of the Dominion. Each province (Otago and Southland, Canterbury, Westland, Nelson' and Marlborough in the Sonth Island, and Wellington, Hawke’s Bay, New Plymouth, and Auckland in the North Island) could absorb, say, during tho year, 3000 women workers— soo to each of tho large’ centres, say, at the rate of 125 every three months.” “ SPECIALISED SERVANTS.” In answer to questions, the witnesses said that by “ specialised servants” they meant trained cooks, parlour maids, and so on. The wages obtainable in New Zealand would be from 15s to 20s per week. The Government should more freely advertise the conditions of nominated immigration. The terms might be improved so as to make New Zealand as attractive as Australia. Considerable dissatisfaction was expressed with the arrangements on shipboard in regard to the carrying of girls. It would be better if single girls came out separately, and if not on a ship of their own, they should he kept separate from the married people. Tho life on board had some effect in unsettling girls for colonial life. Mrs Menzies,- who was in tho Mother Country for over seven years arranging for women to come to New Zealand, also gave evidence, in the course of which she said that more knowledge of New Zealand should be diffused throughout the Homeland. THE COAL SUPPLY. Professor Park volunteered a statement as to the necessity for reserving the coal areas not only in New Zealand but in Australia. This question, he said, was of vital importance to- the defence of the Empire, as the supply for navy steam must continue, for a time at least, and be a source of motive power for men-of-war. The popular idea that coal was abundant in New Zealand was a fallacy. It was found in many places, but the total amount was small; He had personally examined every coal field in the Dominion,: and estimated that of brown coal we had 520,000,000 tons, of pitch coal 306,000,000 tons, and of bituminous coals (confined to Westport and Greymouth districts) 254,000,000 tons. The British output last year was 270,000,0<J\. tons. There was small chance of big discoveries in the future. The amount of available coal should be accurately ascertained, and in each State certain reservations should be made. Our coal was at present being used with prodigal waste. We cannot reproduce the coal, and the waste was a serious matte? in view of the possible requirements by the Admiralty. AVaste in working was inherent to the industry, but the waste in New Zealand . was enormous, equalling 50 per cent. This could be, to some extent, reduced. WESTPORT GOAL OUTPUT. Mr G. Joachim, managing director of the Westport Coal Company, submitted a quantity of information as to the working of his company’s mines. The output was 620,000 tons per annum. They employed 920 men underground and 250 above, and the average output was 530 tons per annum per man. He thought New Zealand would have to go more and more to Newcastle for coal. There were 167 coal mines in the Dominion, but only twenty-six of these employed more than twenty men each, and he knew of only four_ mines that were paying dividends. This was owing to the physical conditions and tho cost

of labour. AVestport hewers averaged 14s 6d to 17s per shift. EMPIRE BOARD OF TRADE. Mr Loudon read and expounded a remit from the Chamber of Commerce advocating tho formation of a national reference and development bureau with quarters in London and branches in tho various parts of the Empire. AVhat the chamber wanted was really an Empire Board of Trade, They knew what the Imperial Institute was doing. Mr AValter Gow added that the very size and scope of the Imperial Institute rendered it, to some extent, ineffective for the purposes which the chamber really had in view, namely, to extend our known commercial possibilities. COMPANY PROSPECTUSES. The chairman remarked, in the course of discussion, that he did not think they could ask the Government to examine tho facts and vouch for the accuracy of company prospectuses. SHORTAGE OF FARM LABOUR. Mr Hugh Mitchell, secretary of the Otago Provincial Council of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, said that for years the Farmers’ Union had been trying to cope with the shortage of farm labour, which was becoming more acute each year. Consequently farmers were compelled to reduce cropping areas and prosecute a class of farming which could be done with the limited labour available. He advocated a resumption of the scheme inaugurated by Mr T. E, Sedgewick for bringing out boys from Britain for farm work. This scheme had worked satisfactorily, but the Government would not allow anything more to be done for twelve months, until the success of the first experiment had been tested. Since that period expired, a change of Government had taken place and no further lads had been sent from England. The union was now asking for legislation which it was hoped would relieve in some measure the shortage of farm labour. He thought lads should be brought out and trained for farm work. Numbers of immigrants of the wrong sort came to the towns. English town boys had proved satisfactory workers on the land hero. SHIPPING CONDITIONS, i Mr William Belcher, general secretary of the Seamen’s Union, spoke of shipping conditions in New Zealand. He said that, generally speaking, the condition of seamen in New Zealand and throughout Australia was fairly good as compared with that of European countries, but there were numerous difficulties here, and what New Zealand seamen considered injustices. There was the unfair competition of low-paid, and in some cases badly-paid, crews on European vessels, and there was a possibility—it had already occurred—of an invasion of the New Zealand shipping trade by vessels maimed by Lascars and coolies. The only remedy he could suggest, and he had suggested it both to the New Zealand Parliament and to Parliamentarians in,Australia, was that there should be an alteration in the constitutional law of New Zealand givthe local Parliament the power of legislating for its own shipping, which at tho present time had to nm the risk of the Imperial veto. He wished coastal, intercolonial, and ocean trade to be governed by colonial law. Every vessel flying a foreign flag that came into competition with locally-owned vessels should be made to comply with the industrial conditions which were fixed by law in so. far as local companies were cod cerne o. , What he wanted to see was that the local Parliament prevailed in respect to ships touching New Zealand and Australian shores. A good many vessels not subject to Australian or New Zealand laws visited New Zealand. They lugged coal from Newcastle to New Zealand, and took cargoes back to Australia. There was also the P. and O. Co., whose vessels were manned by Lascars. It sent its boats to Auckland to pick up passengers. If vessels had Lascar crews and brought cargo from India to New Zealand there was np objection to tho vessel taking cargo from New Zealand to India. It was only when these vessels came into competition with white-manned vessels on the New Zealand and Australian coasts that objection was raised. He regarded trade between Sydney and New Zealand as coastal trade; but he did not consider trade between London and Port Chalmers coastal trade. Some parties might regard London to Port Chalmers trade as coastal, but he would not do so. He regarded it as oversea trade. Trade between India and New Zealand was also oversea trade. He was aware of the risk, if alterations were made in the navigation laws, of straining treaty regulations between nations. Ho recognised, too, that there was a difficulty in the way of allowing colonial legislators to enact their own laws for tfrr government of their shipping; but Canada had taken it into her own hands and, ignoring the Imperial veto, had said: “We will enact our own shipping legislation.” If Canada could do it, he did not see why Australasia could not do the same thing. He firmly held that ships with Lascar orews should not be allowed to trade with New Zealand-owned vessels that had to pay the colonial rate of wages. To Mr CampbellAs to legislation, il only meant separation for New Zealand so far as local shipping regulations were concerned. To Sir Rider Haggard: His objections in a general way extended to vessels trading between Australasia and Great Britain. AVhile he objected he would not suggest any legislation in the matter. He wanted to see the interests of the local people protected, and he wanted to see it done for the reason that New Zealand and Australia had been very much troubled in building up what might-be the best industrial condition in the world for seafaring men, and they did not want to see that taken ♦away. The chairman asked if there were any further witnesses, and there being no response, the Dunedin sitting was closed. . . The members of the commission proceed to Christchurch to-morrow by the second express.