THE LABOUR MARKET.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LV, Issue 8607, 15 November 1906, Page 7

THE LABOUR MARKET.

We take the following from the Journal of the Department of Labour for the current month:—

Masterton.—Building trades: Carpenters, joiners, bricklayers, painters, and decorators have been well employed during the month. A fair amount of building is going on at present.

Engineering trade: Good steady business is reported, with all hands working full time, with prospects of a good season. Coachbuilding: Very fair. Quite a number of orders are in hand. All local tradesmen fully employed.

Furniture trade: Normal. All tradesmen working full time. A new furniture-factory has commenced operations.

Dressmaking and millinery: Busy with usual spring-season orders.

Tailoring: Good business reported in most factories. Some are now working over-time.

Plumbing and gasfitting : All hands working full time.

Cement-pipe making: Busy,

Retail trades: Up to the present good seasonable weather has been experienced, and consequently business on the average has been good. Some shopkeepers complain that they expected to do more trade than they have actually done. Drapers have been busy, mercers fairly busy, butchers and grocers fairly busy. There are some complaints that money is slightly tighter than usual.

Unskilled labour : Work is fairly plentiful, and any one really wanting employment finds it without much trouble. Scrubcutters are now wanted for various contracts. Te Nui.—Building trades: Brisk ; all local men have been busy, and several carpenters from adjoining districts have been busy erecting new wool-sheds aud dwellinghouses during the month. Retail trade (general): Good business is being done in all branches. Miscellaneous : Blacksmiths and saddlers are busy. Unskilled labour: All local men have been fully employed during the month. Several swaggers were seen on the road during the month, but most of them were old men who were unable to do hard work ; they kept going on from station to station, waiting lill shearing starts. The others, who were good men, got plenty of work at scrub-felling at 9s per day for eight hours. Palmerston North.—Building trade : Very brisk. Carpenters, bricklayers, and plasterers all busy. Engineering trade: Steady trade being done. Boot trade (factories): Good. Clothing trade (factories): Very busy. All shops are working over-time. Retail trade (general): Normal business being done. Miscellaneous: The sawmills, dairy, and flax-mills are all making full time. Unskilled labour: The demand for unskilled labour is very good, and, although the Public Works Department is offering special inducement to men willing to work on the Main Trunk Railway, difficulty is experienced in getting a sufficiency of hands. __________________