POSITION IMPROVES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16372, 21 June 1927, Page 5

POSITION IMPROVES

CHRISTCHURCH WORKLESS PROSPECTS FOR FUTURE (Special to the Herald.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Although just at present the situation in regard to unemployment in the city is particularly acute, and in the case of some skilled trades is tho worst union secretaries have known, there is a. silvei lining to the clouds. A couple of big jobs are looming ahead. After many delays a start has now been made with the work of constructing the foundations for the new buildings that are to be erected at Adding!on railway workshops. This work in itself is not a particularly big one, but soon tho contractor will make a start with the erection of the buildings, a job that will provide employment for a large number of skilled tradesmen. It is hoped that it will be commenced within a couplo of months.

Another job that has just been started is that of reticulating the outer areas of the city with the high pressure water supply Eighteen men' are beginning on the work to-day, but if a good supply of pipes is kept up the number should be increased to 100 in another month. SKILLED TRADES AFFECTED.

Added to these prospects for the future is the more hopeful tone. Business firms believe tho worst of the depression is now over, and that trade will now gradually improve. The skilled trades, particularly, have been feeling tho effects of unemployment during the past few months, very few unions being able to report that trade is good. In the building trades there is a largu number of men out of work. Mr. E. C. Sutcliffe, secretary of the Amalgamated Carpenters' Union, informed a reporter that between 50 and 60 members of his union were regularly signing the unemployment register, and that he had never known tho position to be so bad previously. Trade was bad throughout the Dominion, and several Christclmreh men who had been working in Wellington had come back again, and were now out of work. They stated that men from all parts of New Zealand had flocked to Wellington while trade was brisk there. Mr. Sutcliffe staled that he had been told by a representative of the contractor for the erection of the new buildings for Addington workshops that as soon as the work was commenced he would knock a big whole in. the number of carpenters out of work.