AUSTRALIAN WORKMEN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19892, 21 March 1939, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN WORKMEN

STATE HOUSING JOBS PARTY OF 42 ARRIVES (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. Of 62 Australian workmen, who arrived by the Niagara to-day, 42 came from Sydney and Melbourne under contract to the State Housing Department. Some of those who came independently are not tradesmen. WELCOME BY MINISTER WELLINGTON AREIVALS APPRECIATION OF MEN (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The Minister of Housing, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, met 47 tradesmen from Australia on arrival by the Awatea this morning, and addressing them, he said that of those already in New Zealand 98 or 99 per cent were employed and if those who had just arrived wanted to work to-morrow they could do so. There had been complaints by one or two men who declared, he said, that they had been promised 10 hours' a week overtime. That promise ha:l not been made as the object of the Government was to do away with overtime as soon as possible. He repeated the assurance he made on Saturday that accommodation would be temporarily provided where there was difficulty in that respect. In thanking the Minister for the welcome, one of the men said they were glad to have come to a country where the Government was endeavouring to do something for the workers and had provided a 40-hour week. They had left the country where actual starvation existed and where the Government was opposing the 40hour week. He believed they were all ready to become citizens of New Zealand and to enjoy social benefits for the rest of their lives.