TRADESMEN ARRIVE FROM AUSTRALIA

Southland Times, Issue 23772, 21 March 1939, Page 8

TRADESMEN ARRIVE FROM AUSTRALIA

MINISTER DENIES PROMISE OF OVERTIME (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 20. The Minister of Housing (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) met 47 tradesmen from Australia on their arrival by the Awatea this morning. Addressing them, the Minister 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 tomorrow 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 had not been made, as the object of the Government was to do away with overtime as soon as possible. He repeated the assurance made on Saturday that accommodation would be temporarily provided where there was a difficulty in that respect. In thanking the Minister for his welcome, one of the men said that they were glad to 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 a country where actual starvation existed and where the Government was opposing the 40-hour week. He believed they were all ready to become citizens of New Zealand and enjoy its social benefits for the rest of their lives. MEN ARRIVE AT AUCKLAND (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, March 20. A further batch of 42 carpenters, plumbers, electricians, painters and plasterers arrived at Auckland by the Niagara from Sydney under contract to the Government for its housing scheme. All the carpenters, of whom there were 17, are to be used in Auckland, but some of the other tradesmen are being sent to Hamilton and Tauranga, being the first of the Australian workmen to go there. In addition to the 42 men under 'contract to the Government, the Niagara carried about 20 more Australians who have come to New Zealand in search of work. Only six were carpenters, and it is expected that no difficulty will be found in placing them in employment. The remainder of the men not under contract were mostly labourers and clerks, who will be assisted in the normal way by the State Placement Service. Three officers of the service met the Niagara and attended to the landing details of the party under contract to the Government. The organization was again so complete that all the men remaining in Auckland had been given starting chits for their various jobs before eight o’clock. Overnight accommodation was also arranged. As with the tradesmen who arrived last week by the Awatea, the Niagara’s party was for the most part composed of men who said they were not satisfied with the present state of the building trade in Australia. The most frequent complaint expressed was the amount of broken" time. They said there was no such thing at the present time as a steady job and even the defence measures and rebuilding programmes in the areas recently stricken by bush fires had made little difference to the employment available for skilled men.