BUILDING TRADE

Southland Times, Issue 20396, 27 January 1928, Page 7

BUILDING TRADE

CARPENTERS OUT OF WORK. INFLUX OF NORTHERN TRADESMEN. There are at present eleven carpenters out of work in Invercargill. According to the secretary of the Carpenters’ Union, Mr C. Provan, there should at this time of the year be a demand for tradesmen, but men are coming from the north and even from Australia, which means that the labour market is overstocked and positions cannot be found for the local men. There is a good deal of work going on in the building trade and at ordinary times sufficient men could be found locally to meet the builders’ requirements. Mr Provan has received the following advice from the State secretary of New South Wales which accounts for the fact that Australian tradesmen are seeking fresh fields for their labours. The letter reads:—“l have been directed by the S.M.C. to bring under your notice, that owing to trade in and around Sydney being overstocked, you instruct your members not to come here. At the present time there are a great number of carpenters from overseas, and the other States of the Commonwealth here, and I might state that we have a great number of our members signing the unemployed book, whom we are unable to find employment for. I trust you will treat this matter as urgent.”