UNEMPLOYMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18545, 4 May 1922, Page 2

UNEMPLOYMENT

POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH. IMPROVEMENT IN SKILLED TRADES. HTbou Our Own Correspondent.! CHRISTCHURCH, May 2. ,It is stated that there are very* few unemployed engineers or other; metal trades workpra in Christchurch, at present. Mr King, secretary of; the various engineering unions, told a Sun representative to-day that he had fewer than a! dozen men on the- unemployment; book, whereas a few months ago the number ran nearly, into three figures. Engineering firms, including makers of agricultural implements, had much more work in hand, and had taken on a number of extra men. This ,he presumed, was due to the fact that farmers were spending,, some ,of, their wheat cheques on needed agricultural machinery, or on repairs. Much the same was true of the motor’ trade, which was really busy just now.- -Large nuqibers of people in town and country had laid up their cars when the slump came, but npw they were having them overhauled iri readiness for use. Once more the cycle business, which had never slackened,-.' was still, good, and indeed the only slack trades were'those relating to sheet metal. These bad been good until a week or two ago, and possibly the falling off was only temporary. Regarding immigrant engineers, about whom' so many , complaints have . been made lately, Mr King stated that out of 52 who were entered on the books of various unions, fewer that a 1 dozen were now unemployed. He was not wepared to say that all of .them were working at their own "trades, but they were working; that was the main thing. The revival in engineering trades, unfortunately does not find its parallel in unskilled labour. The Field Labour Department has on its books this week 59 men, an increase of six on last week. Of the 59, 50 are capable of doing heavy work. The total* included ..of .skilled tradesmen who cannot find work in their own particular r lines.,,, ... '’ ‘ The Repatriation 'Department reports an increase- of nearly 50 per cent.■- in its' unemployment list since a fortnight ago. Today it has 58 New Zealand and 15 Imperial ex-soldiers on its btoks; ■ Fourteen days ago the total was 56. • The - list has been dwelled by the arrival in 'the city of men !who have been employed-on other country work. 'Six. of the Imperial mep are fitters who apparently-have not yet benefited by the better conditions described. ..-,.