The Dunedin Expansion League is abundantly justifying its existence by its manifold activities, of which not the least important has taken the form of an inquiry concerning the state of the local labour market.
The information the League has received from various representative sources is summarised in another column and discloses, not unexpectedly, a condition of things that is plainly retarding the development of the industries of this city and of the district.
The statements of the proprietors and managers of many of the leading manufactories, workshops, and factories reveal a general and genuine shortage of labour, of men and of women, of boys and girls alike. Nor is this shortage confined to any particular branch of labour. In such a case it might be suggested that the deficiency was due to a predilection for other and more congenial departments of work.
From woollen mills and factories, from biscuit makers, confectioners, stationers, manufacturing chemists, boot factories, furniture makers, and other wholesale houses comes the same complaint: "We are short of labour in one or more of our departments and we have difficulty in coping with our orders." There is evident need for the importation of the necessary labour unless the industries of Dunedin and district are to be shorn of their natural expansion.
• The committee of the Otago Motor Club sent a deputation to Brighton on Monday evening to meet the ratepayers, and discuss with them the question of opening the Brighton road (portions of which are at present closed) to motor traffic.
About 30 residents attended at the schoolhouse, and the proposals were outlined by the president of the Motor Club (Mr G. B. Bullock), who pointed out great benefits which, he said, Brighton and the surrounding districts would receive if the road were opened.
Brighton had always been looked upon as one of the prettiest resorts around Dunedin, but very few people knew of it on account of its inaccessibility. If motors were allowed on the road, the place would soon become widely known, and such things as a more up-to-date mail and passenger service would eventuate.
It had been mentioned that the road in years past was not safe for motor traffic, but various improvements had been made of late, and the road was now comparatively safe.
Messrs M'Kenzie, M'Dougall, Scofield, Lough, Fogo, and Fulton also spoke in favour of the proposal. Some members gave their experience on other roads in both the North and South Islands, where, in some cases, they said, the roads were hardly wide enough for two vehicles to pass, yet had besides a drop of hundreds of feet into rivers below. A number of ratepayers debated the question of opening the roads, the majority of the speakers favouring making the road open in order to send the district ahead. Letters were also read from the president and secretary of the Brighton Improvement Association, both urging that the ratepayers see their way to open the road to motor traffic.
• Some idea of the wealth that is invested in motor-cars in Hawke's Bay might have been gathered at the Napier Park races (says the Telegraph). At one period of the meeting no fewer than 85 cars were counted in the paddock enclosure, while there were 15 on other parts of the course. Averaging these at 400 each, which would be a very moderate estimate the value of these cars might be set down at 40,000. - ODT, 18.10.1912.
