EXTENDED HOLIDAYS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2143, 28 December 1920, Page 7

EXTENDED HOLIDAYS.

POSITION OF BOOT OPERATIVES. Owing to the depression in the boot, trade, factory operatives, are having a ~ holiday about 10 days - longer than is usual at this period. This extension, of course, effects their wages. It-is usual in the trade to close dowa at Christmas for two weeks, as, in the ordinary course, retailers' orders have been filled for several weeks: On this occasion, the factories closed from December f*6, and tbey will not reopen until Januarv 17. .In Dunedin, factories closed from December 16 to January 17. It is stated that the largt importations of Australian footwear have - greatly affected the boot manufacturing trade in the Dominion. According to retailers, however, the major cause is reduction in purchases on the part of I the public. In any case, the manufacturing trade in pre War years hail I intervals of slackness. | ' • There is no reason to anticipate that j factories will close down for a further period," said a manufacturer. "In-' i deed, retailers report quite an exeep-' tional activity during Christmas week, and, although it is possible that orders* to the factories will be low until about April, the factories should be able to carry on all right." Prior to the holidays, many factory workers were working short time. Adult workers are paid by tli? hour, so that they naturally suffer vy' len factories ' close down. The Factories Act provides for the payment of wageß to females wlifn factories are closed on ordinary working days, and the award provides for payment to " assistants "- who have been'employed for less than five years. However, a procedure that appears to have been almost generally followed in the present instance—it haa also been followed on previous occasions—has "been to pay off such workers, and to intimate that they will be reengaged when the factory reopei*.