H—llA

PART lII.—DISTRICT BY DISTRICT EMPLOYMENT POSITION OVER THE TWELVE MONTHS Whangarei District (Estimated male labour force, 21,300) 113. Male employment in this district is largely centred on farming and other extractive industries such as bush sawmilling and coal-mining, building and construction,, transport, shops and other servicing industries, and a rather restricted range of manufacturing industries, including cement-works, potteries, vehicle and cycle repairing, &c. Female employment mainly centres on shops and offices, hospitals, hotels, and catering establishments, with only some 200 women engaged in manufacturing industries. The seasonal variation in male employment between the peak and ebb periods of activity totals some 200 in the freezing-works and nearly 100 in dairy factories. Farming also contributes to the seasonal fluctuation in employment. While the past year has seen some expansion of existing undertakings and the commencement to a limited extent of construction of new premises, the further potentialities of this district for the expansion and decentralization of industry are considered to be particularly good. Of some 66,000 persons living in the Whangarei employment district approximately 20,000 are Maoris. The next few years will see increasing numbers of Maori youths becoming available for employment, and to-day there is a great opportunity for the establishment of new industries drawing upon Maori labour. A survey has shown Maori labour in this district to be equal in competence and reliability with non-Maori labour. New industries are urgently needed to absorb the increasing population. The Department latterly has undertaken extensive contact work with the Maoris in the district and has been studying closely the question of establishing suitable industries in the Northland region. Vacancies for male labour increased from 30 on Ist April, 1946, to 96 by 31st July, 1946, but were down to 38 on 31st March, 1947 (25 for skilled men, 6 only for unskilled men, and 7 for juveniles). Female vacancies similarly rose from 33 on Ist April, 1946, to 82 on 30th September, 1946, but fell to 38 by 31st March, 1947 (16 for skilled and 16 for unskilled workers, plus 6 for juveniles). Male vacancies in farming reached a peak of 20 on 31st August, 1946, but were down to 2 by 31st March, 1947. Calls from dairy-farmers were mainly for single men, with youths required in most cases. Demands for male labour for building and construction fluctuated throughout the period, reaching a peak of 27 on 31st January, 1947. By the end of March, 1947, they were down to 7, including 6 vacancies for tradesmen. Hospitals have suffered the greatest shortage of labour in the district. Female vacancies climbed to 49 by 30th September, 1946, and still stood at 25 on 31st March, 1947, including 22 for nurses and 3 for domestic staff. Trained nurses, trainees, and nursing aides, have been most in demand. Floods in the early part of the year seriously affected roads in the district and necessitated extensive repair work. Farming operations and work in at least one coal-mine were delayed as a result of these floods. The district also suffered a loss through fire destroying part of the buildings of the Kamo Potteries, with a resultant reduction in output of fire-bricks. Auckland District (Estimated male labour force, 98,600) 114. In this district, which has by far the largest working population of any of the twenty-five employment districts, the shortage of labour, both male and female, has remained particularly acute during the past twelve months. Speedy placement of all enrollees seeking employment have enabled the numbers remaining registered with the Department at the end of each monthly period to be kept at a minimum and to be reduced from 55 males and 8 females at Ist April, 1946, to only 2 males and no females at 31st March, 1947. Vacancies notified to the Department range over almost every industry. Male notified vacancies, though fluctuating from month to month, have shown a steadily upward trend from 1,640 at Ist April, 1946, to 2,584 at 31st March, 1947. Vacancies for skilled workers remained fairly constant throughout the period, totalling 718 at 31st March, 1947, a reduction of 28 from the total of twelve months earlier. Increasing demand for male labour has been mainly for unskilled and juvenile labour, as is evidenced by the rise in unskilled vacancies from 592 at Ist April, 1946, to 1,115 at 31st March, 1947, and in those for juveniles from 302 to 751 over the same period. Female notified vacancies, after rising from 3,107 at Ist April, 1946, to a peak of 3,858

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