Too Many Hot Water Bottles

Chronicle (Levin), 8 July 1948, Page 5

Too Many Hot Water Bottles

Press Assoeiatton)

(Per

AUCKLAND, July 6. The arrival of thovtsands of hot water bottles in New Zealand from overseas has be:en partly responsible for a severe reduction in the earnings of local rubber workers. At the Reid New Zealand .Rubbev Mills at Penrose, where five hours ' overtime has been: worlced fegularly' 'each week' for .th e -last • eigkt years, emplbyees have ' reverted to a 40-hour Week. The Auckland Ruhbei Workers' Unio'n has sent a letter to the Minister of- Finance,. Mi'. Nash, protesting .'against. the importation of hot wat.er bottles and other gpods. The secretary of the. union, Mr/N. ~V, Douglas, said yesterday that, the market had been flooded with imported hot water bottles and cycle tyres, It was believed that between 350,000 and 500,000 bottles and ; 100,000 tyres hau been brought into the country, Soine of the bottles were from Canada and ti was thought that dollars could have been put to better use. At the same time that the Department of Industries and Commerce was issuing impon ticences for hot water . bottles, it was issuing licences to import machinery to double the production of bottles in New Zealand. • , Back to 40-hour Week The company had .been obliged to revert to a 40-hour week because of tlu' importations, said Mr, Douglas. The ; loss of five hours" overtime a week represented a reduction in the standard of living of the rubber workers of I5iper cent. That overtime had been worked for eight years and had become absorbed in the standard of ' living. There was no argument with the employers in the issue'. It wa's with tlte Department ° of Industries and Com merce. o When 'the nianaging-director of thc company, Mr. G. C. W. Reid, was approaehed last night, he said tlu importation of hot water ' bottles anu other nnnecessary importations had been a large f actor in causing the com* pany to rever.t to the 40-hour week. Effect in Christchurch The importation of rubber goods r-^ displaeing labour in Christchurch tac tories. The Canterbury Rubber Work ers / Union has decided to make repre sentations t'o the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr. Nordmeyer, and tlie Minister of Customs, Mr. Nash, asking that import licences be granted only for the proportion of consumer good.which eannot' be produced by New Zea land manufacturers. The union will be supported by the Canterbury Trade* Council; The secretary of the union, MrB. Grant, said recently that for the lasi four months local manufacturers had been forced to stop producing hot water bottles. The output of cycle tyres hau been cut by almost 60 per cent in Xew Zealand and the rubber boot and sho. section of the industry had lost aboul 60. men and women in the last few months.