The Discontinuity of Employment.

Workmen are employed one week and are out of a job the next. This is seen in various employments, and is a great waste of efficiency, and of labor and of capital, too. How is this irregular or unsteady employment to be dealt with? It is prevalent in our pastoral and agricultural in- page 15 dustries, is to be seen at our waarves and in other industrial departments. Many remedies may be suggested. So far as pastoral and agricultural work is concerned, it might be met by having those who work on farms provided with houses and small allotments, so that when out of work for wages they might have work of their own to do. At present, shearers travel in Australia and New Zealand, and in this way fairly continuous employment is found for them; but I doubt if it is an efficient system of work that necessitates men leaving their families and travelling thousands of miles every year. The other system of having small allotments with intensive culture to attend to when their work on a farm was not, required would, I believe, be more efficient so far as labor is concerned, and better for laborers. There is much intensive culture that could be followed, such as producing fruit, honey, flower seeds, eggs, etc. Another remedy is that the employees should have diverse work to do: when one kind of work was not required another kind could be undertaken. Let us take, for example, waterside workers. They should, in my opinion, be selected for their character and industry, and the infrequency of their work should be done away with. They should have fixed salaries, and the employers—the harbor boards, etc.—should provide accommodation for them—perhaps in flats near their work, the flats to have restaurants, kitchens, etc.—and there should be some arrangement arrived at, perhaps with municipal councils or other employers of work, for employment to be given to the harbor board employees when there was no work on the wharves for them. There is not doubt a scheme could be devised to get rid of discontinuous employment were we only to face the question.