Subsidy on Overtime in Sawmills

Chronicle (Levin), 13 October 1949, Page 6

Subsidy on Overtime in Sawmills

WELLINGTON, Oet. 12. "Provided an indigenous sawmill cannot cut the log supplies available to it in 40 hours of work in its sawmill, the subsidy will continue to be paid up to a maximum of four hours weekly for such overtime necessary in the sawmill to achieve this objeetive," said. the Minister of Porests, Mr. Skinner, in the House of Representatives today. He was answering an urgent question by Mr. T. L. Macdonald (Wallace) who asked if the Minister would reinstate the subsidy on overtime formerly paid indigenous sawmills on any hours worked in exeess of 40 each week, Mr. Macdonald said the seeretary of the Southern Sawmillers' Guild stated last week that 14 indigenous timber mills in the Otago and Southland* distriets were listed as not qualified to receive the subsidy. Members of the Southland branch of the Timber* Workers' Union had stated they were quite pr epa red fo continue working a 44-hour week, namely, one Saturday on and the other Saturday off. Mr. Skinner, replying, said it was not necessary to work on Saturday to qualify for the subsidy. This was paid where warrauted on hours worked in excess of 40 weekly, irrespective of the days in the week in which the work was carried out. The Government had noted with regret that, because steps had been taken to correet anomalies in tlie subsidy payment, the Southland Sawmillers' Guild had resolved to abandon all overtime work. It did not appear, however, that all members of the guild had followed that eourse as claims for subsidy were still being received. Other sectioris of the industry throughout the Dominion were continuing to cooperate and were working overtime in their sawmills when log supplies -permitted. It would be realised that no alteration had been made in the subsidy payment on indigenous bysh operations. As log supplies were the key to indigenous timber production, no reduction in the latter need bq feared from the Government 's decisioa to remove anomalies in the subsidy payment.