BOOT TRADE TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 6

BOOT TRADE TROUBLE.

OUTLOOK OF THE OPERATIVES. MAY. DESERT THE BUSINESS. CD! TELEGUAriI—rUE3B -ASSOPUTION.I Christchurch, January 15. The manifesto issued by the boot manufacturers of the Dominion as a reply to the resolution arrived at by the executive of the New Zealand Boot Trade Federation was the subject of, an interview between a representative of the "Press,'' land : the general secretary-of the Boot Trade Federation (Mr. G. R. Whiting). Regarding the statement in the manifesto that, on two occasions, the representatives of the Boot Trade Federation agreed to, the conditions and wages that the manufacturers. offered, Mr.' Whiting said it was quite correct, but they had liaa reasons for-doing so; the' chief reason being that, -at that time, the Court had refused to give'the workers any material increase in wages, or any • reduction in hours,' on account of the competition in the boot trade ; from-foreign countries, but, at these conferences, tne workers secured from the manufacturers, not only a. reduction of hours, but : also an increase in wages. In the first ajgreement drawn up by the parties, in 1903, the hours of work were reduced- by three per. week, whilst, in the second agreement, in 1905,- wages; were increased by 3s. per week, thus bringing the minimum wage up to Is. per hour., This increase of wages was in respect to .workers who were "then earning only 10id. per hour, excepting those in the rough "stuff department. Outside of sole' cutters, the award has never applied to men in the-department mentioned, except,to those engaged: cutting soles."' Both-at the 1903 and'l9os conferences, .the ;Boot Trade Federation asked ;for'. improved .conditions and increased wages far. and above what was. accepted. It was, only the argument advanced by the manufacturers (based on the competition' from*'imported boots and shoes) that led -the exe'eutive'rof''the Boot Trade Federation to agree-to.-the conditions which the manufacturers now-, bffer for another period. - But since those-cOnditions were agreed to, things had: changed somewhat, and the ; increased ' duty advocated by ■ the Boot Trade Federation had .come into force, and, consequently, there was "not the. same competition from foreign countries tliat there was in; 1905. \

; "Sweep the Cuty Away." The Boot Trade Federation/claimed that the workers should receive some benefit from the increased duty. "If the .benefit from the increased duty is to- accrue' only to the manufacturer and the retailer;'^-MrV/Whiting .continued, "then, in our opinion,: it would ;bei far better 'to. sweep.; the duty- away, and. allow the public .to-get cheaper .boots 1 and shoes, and the bootmaker to get better wages and conditions in another olass of 'employinent.. We spent no.end of money and time m advocating the increase in the duty. Did we do so tojput,more profit in ;th'e. pockets', of, the. manufacturers, .by them raising the prico of the colonial manufactured/article, on the consumer? We did it not only.to put the trade on a better footing, but to get improved and .increased wages for the .workers. It-must be admitted by: anyone who considers the position, for: one moment that minimum of £2 ss: pef week for a man to keep bimself'and his-wife and family, is totaly inadequate. --Whilst admitting/ that. the. statement .that . about .80 per ■ cent., of • the : ... .workers ~ aro recoiving more;than the;minimum, ranging up. to £4 os. is correct in one or'two'isolated' cases, • the larger number of the men do' not .receive anything like the-sum mentioned by tho manufacturers, • and some of the men working in ...the. industry to-day are men-who have never been. under any award,: and ; are pnly receiving from 255. to £2 or £2 2s. per week.". • 1

i r le . ."f the increased duty, ? i' i'i ithat"ho;. wfis inj, a--.position to, state "that .it had. [increased .considerably the trade in colonial _ manufactured, boots. Whether, or .not .the; imports-had':decreased remained to be seen from'the figures for i9oßr which are.not yet .available.-'; . ■ - Mr. 'Whiting-added;that they asked that wages should be fixed for apprentices.. .Themanufacturers'' in and' Drinedin' had:admitted the'justness of the demand-that' wages for: girl. apprentices should ;be fixed in an 'agreement drawn up in. August, ;-1907;Which. expired on ; the first 'of the . pr£seiit month. ' All that was; now asked was that wages-should be fixed for male apprentices in | a similar way. ; ' ' •. Boots Far Too Dear. . Questioned regarding the'apparent inconsistency of the executive's, resolution, Mr. Whit-'-ing said that the two proposals (1) the establishment .of. State boot factories,;■ and' • (2)the abolition of the duty . on .injported boots and shoes were ,intended as: alternatives. If the Government .started State: boot factories it would- settle, the difficulty so' : far' as the workers were concerned, and they did hot de-' sire;the duty, removed, tyit if State factories were. not. established they :kaid''that,' seeing: that the employees cannot get fair conditions and tair wages from the .manufacturers, the best thing in the interests of the community to, take the. duty-off. and : give "the \ ch , a -, nc6 , to cet the cheap article. •Why should the public, be' forced," Mr Whiting'continued,- '[to pay 16s':.'to. 20sl' for' a pair of. boots that they ought to be'able' get,, and - would- be able to get under Stato control at from 12s. to 16s. per pair? 'The manufacturer (and to a smaller: extent the retailer). reap the tho-benefit represented by the difference in,these prices.'' Understate control tho public woukl get their boots at least 25; per cent, cheaper, . and would bo able to pay. the workers fair-wage's and give them decent .conditions. The State.'would jave much of the expense incurred by • the manufacturers in. respect to' travellers and m-rospect to clerical work.'' .. ~' '

. ' Bootmakers' Last Pcsort. .Asked what.would become of the workers a J:-K es ® engagM in the trade in -the event of the. industry in New Zealand being extinguished,. as t-ho result of; the: .abolition of the duty, Mr. Whiting pointed out that, no difficulty ; had been experienced in, absorbing the thousands of workers'who: had come to the Dominion within the past two or three years as the. result of the .Government's immigration policy.;. Consequently, the bootmakers .would in like manner be absorbed." They would have to go on, the unskilled labour market? queried the reporter. "That is so," replied Mr. Whiting, "but numbers of those who come from the Old Country have been skilled, workers frho 'have had to go on the unskilled labour market.; The manufacturers state ill their manifesto that in tho event of free trade in the'industry the workers would have to seek other employment, which is a course quite .'open to them : at any. time, and a very-large number of our male' members,"- continued ,-Mr.' Whiting "have, during the last few owing to the unsatisfactory wages and conditions ruling, secured other employment absolutely outside the'trade.- We-have-never heard of one of them having-any desire to come back to the trade. They are. better off-as unskilled workers than in the trade as skilled workers.