LABOUR REPORT

Southland Times, Issue 17699, 10 July 1914, Page 7

LABOUR REPORT

LOCAL CONDITIONS. Following is the report of the Labour Department upon the conditions of trade ; nd industry in Invercargill : Trade during the month shows no sign of improvement, while many departments show a decided falling off. Weather conditions have been very bad, causing delay in all outside work, and considerable loss of time to the work- • its. A number of men are at present unemployed, the majority consisting of labourers, although there is a fair number of tradesmen idle. The building, trade still continues good, and is at present: keeping a large number of workmen employed. This trade is likely to remain steady for several months to come. The furniture trade is slacker than usual, with no sign of immediate improvement. Cycle and motor trade is slack, and several hands will have to take holidays for a time should conditions not speedily improve. The ironworking trades are, generally speaking, fairly busy, though unsteady. Were it not for the vast quantity of iron-work being used in building construction trade the foundries would not have been in such a good position. The various branches of the clothing trades are having their share of the passing quietness, | hut with the turn of the season, an early : improvement is looked forward to. There ] is no doubt that the boisterous weather experienced during the best part of the month has had a had effect on business generally. Building Trades. Bricklaying still continues brisk, and tradesmen will be kept busy for some considerable time, as several new buildings arc about to start, in addition to those already in hand. Weather conditions have not been good during the month, and bricklayers, together with other outside workers. have lost time. Carpentry and Joinery—Good. A number of carpenters are at present idle, but. taking into consideration the number of men in the district, comparatively few are unable to And employment. Works on hand should keep tradesmen going for the next month or two. Joinery work is plentiful ; all hands employed with good prospects ahead. Painting : Slack, several tradesmen are idle at present, and although the trade should pick up in a couple of months’ time, the outlook at present is anything but bright. Plastering—lmproving all local men fully employed. Plumbing and Gasfitting : Trade shows a slight improvement, and should continue to get better as buildings in course of construction get further advanced. All hands fully employed. Stonemasonry : Very little doing. Woodworking Trades.—Cabinet malting and Upholstering : Cabinetmaking is slack, several tradesmen have been idle for short periods, and there is not likely to be much improvement until the winter is over. Upholstering and Drench Polishing are also on the quiet side. Sash and Door Factories ; Slacker than usual. Sawmilling : Bather on the quiet side. There have been occasional requests for hands, but all orders have been readily filled. Engineering Trades. • Agricultural implement Making; Very little improvement in sales, but the workshops hands have been kept going steadily on stock and repair work. Boilermaking : Steady. All hands have made full time. Electrical Engineering ; Still fair amount of work being put through, with prospects improving. Pitting and Turning : Pair, towards the end of the month there were indications of a slackness sotting in,

though all hands had been kept going. Moulding : Very busy in all branches. Hangemaking : Busy, with every indicartion of still further improvement. Leather Trades. Bootmaking (factories) busy : all hands fully employed. Bootmaking (repair shops) busy. Plenty . of work to keep all hands going. Saddiery and Harness Making : Steady, mostly on repair work. Clothing Trades. Dressmaking and Millinery : Very quiet, most of the rooms working short-handed. Tailoring ; This trade has Just about reached winter level, and operatives are not by any means rushed. By the end of July trade should brighten up considerably. Retail Trades. Clothing has been slightly quieter than usual, but is. however, steady. The business done will probably compare favourably with that of the previous month. Boots : The demand was not quite so brisk as usual at this time of the year, but still a satisfactory turnover is reported by retailers. Drapery : Numerous sales are in full swing, with apparently satisfactory results. Groceries : Very little change to report ; steady trade being done. Printing Trades. Bookbinding ; Rather quiet. Printing : Quiet, hut improving towards the end of the month. Meal PTeezing. etc. Tanning and Kelimongering ; Tannery workers have been kept going, but not rushed. Consequent on the easing off at. the killing houses the fellmongeries attached thereto have slackened down, and a number of hands have left the district. At private works all hands have been kept going, but the season will soon be over, except for odd lines. Slaughtering is being carried on intermittently, but the best of the season is now past, and only small lines will be dealt with from now onward. Coachbuilding Trades. Blacksmithing : Steady, all hands fully employed. Trade generally keeps good, although more work could readily be undertaken. In the body-building departments, motor work predominates, and. at present, there is every indication of rapid growth, with a consequent increase in the number of hands employed. Cycle and Motor Trades. On the slack side. The bulk of work on hand consists of overhauling and repa-irs, but even this has not been up to the usual standard. Agricultural Operations. Beyond ploughing, there is very little doing on the farm at this time of the year. The dairy factories have now ceased operations for the season, and owners of dairy herds are confining their attention to necessary improvements and wintering their stock. There has not been any demand for farm workers. Unskilled labour is still in a very dull state, a number of men having been idle for some weeks, and those who have work are losing time through wet weather. There is nothing coming on that is likely to give employment to any number of labourers, and work in the country districts is scarce. With builders labourers work lias been fairly good, the briskness in the building trade providing employment for a considerable number.