DAIRY WORKERS" DEMANDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 755, 2 March 1910, Page 8

DAIRY WORKERS" DEMANDS.

'•.V.. MOV-KG. A meeting of delegates from' the dairy companies affected is to be held at'.Palmerston North .to-morrow evening to discuss the demands of the butter and cheese factory workers. The employers in ' tho industry appeal- to be strongly opposed to .the- giving of'preference ■to unionists, and' it''is probabie tii'at.a determined Jtand .will be taken, ou this.point. The members';of the. union,are stated- by one representative .of tne.. employers to hare been omy a- small - minority 01 the workers wnen tne award was. made, lit' April last.' me demands througnout are ■■ generally : considered, ■ so. lar as 1 can be gatnerco, to mi excessive: Alter- ;cue meeting at Paltrierstou ivorui a lurthor gathering will be;neia.-at iiawbrti.oh.Moiiaay, when the executive-ot tne.iN'anoiial-Dairy As-sociation-will go into .the "demands. ■Tne.present, award came, liito torce' on June'l. last ,and expires, at. the end of the current month, it.was:the first made . for -"iho- dairying industry .in the Wellington- industrial'.uistrtct. ..Qne-.of-tne' principal alterations. 1 now demanded by .the -workers, is lor. the gTaanig. 01 creamery managers. Under the award the provision is: "£hewages or-creamery managers shall be not less; than £2 per week, with firewood, milk, anil suitaple-living 1 ., accommouatipn.''" I'he - Tarauaki award, made.by consent of the parties in' October last, ■ provides ;i'6r a wage of .£2 '55.-for-creamery managers, with: the, same, >. conditions attached; but exempts creameries with an. average .daily, supply of less than. 1000 gallons during December. Some Comparisons,'■< ■"' ''■■■■' ' The' new demand represents a. marked change Ironi present conditions, as laid down in ;the clauses of: the aiyard. A grading-of creameries, into first,, second, and third-class is asked ior, with wages for the managers running at '£'6, £2 155., ahd"X2- 7s'. 6d. respectively, week in and ■week out while the'creamery is working. Fuel .and ;milk are.-to : h*;.-supplied free by the employer,, but where living accommodation is provided for married men (meaning a; house of not -less, than' four living. rooms, for.each such man), a' reduction of 7s."a week may be made from the wages, and where accommodation for single- men-is provided half-a-crown may be. deducted... .. ',-•";•:.- ..-It is also demanded that the employees in.butter;factories shall be classified in greater and •increases in-' wages given..'-.'So.-distinction is-'mado in .the present award .between butter .and: cheese factory workers,. add the .wagos : run from .£2" 10s,, with sleeping '.accommodation, for the first-assistant in the larger factories,, to -£2. Extra hands,! not including youth's, are to.be paid not less than'il 17s. fid.' per. week, with accommodation. Now it . is demanded that butter and cheese worke'rs are to.be dealt with separately, and the wages.asked.for range.from £3 ss. to i£2 ■ ss;' .These wages,-: it',must b'e remembered,- are all'.;subject., to' deduction where, accommodation is supplied: " '.An attempt'is to:be,made■ by.; the workers '..to. limit, Sunday-labour/, as'.far as possible, and-ff ;-mDre-than four.' hours' . work has. to lie" done oil-a-.-Snii'day:em-ployers,"are to ,be .asked to'pay"over'time rates. ■■' Both; the'present . Taranaki awards -liniit the hours of work in: butter ..and cheese factories to, seventy • i per week of■ seven : days,-, exclusive' of meal ibours.■..The- hew proposal-'is" for.'sixtv , jhours..'ner:-iyeek.-of;.fix-,;'days"in• clic'ese ' factories and at butter'factories fifty-two hours - per week in -the six summer months, ami forty-four hours per week during the winter. Comments Last' Year. -When the award was made last'year-a memo, was attached-by Mr. Justice Sim. Aow thai-conditions are to be revised it is interesting .to. recall what was then said ■ It was contended,on behalf of the employers," the memorandum ~ . proceeded, that.tne present case was.one in which the Court should refuse ..to make an 'award. Evidence'was'called to'prove that (inflated values had been obtained in Irecsent years-for dairy products, with the : iresult tkatprices out-of all proportion to Teal value had been paid for lands purchased in recent years for dairying puriPoses. Most of the dairy factories'; be- ' long. to. the -farmers .in the. districts where they are situated. -. A* in the view" ' of experts, it is certain, that reduced prices i mil bp obtained in the future for dairy : products, and that land values must suf- i fer a serious reduction in' consequence, it was claimed thai.tho owners of dairy factories should ,be left with a free hand ■ with regard-to wages and-other cpndi- ' tions. .There ■■; would have- been' -some ] reason for- this claim-if .it had been proved . that extravagant wages had been paid j in the past to the workers .employed- in i these'factories. Nothing of the sort, how- ; ever,'was proved, and it cannot be said i that wages suffered any undue inflation in sympathy with- dairy products and land. ■ Current Rates Fixed. '..'-.'..' "M-'e-thiak that no valid reason has been adduced for- refusing to make an- i award- in the present case. In view, how- ; ever, ,of...the.state of the industry,-there . should not be, any alteration in the.pre- , sent conditions", and. the rates of wages < fixed.by, the award are those offered by i the employers with only one modification, i viz./in the case of hands other than those 1 specifically mentioned. The .employers i offered 355. per week as a minimum for - , those workers, and the Court had. fixed i the minimum at 375. Gd. per-week. The : rates fixed by the award represent about | the average of the wages now'paid in. the ': factories, and are less than those payable 1 under, the industrial agreement in Taran- ( aki. .-... ",.- i "The.'-, employers ask that if: aa- awara ' was made,- no-limitation should bo ini- 1 posed, as to tho number, of hours to bo 1 worked. ,We are-satisfied that not less ' than,-ten hours per day are-necessary for ' tho daily work m. cheese factories in the < busy part- of the seasoni The hours aTe < fixed at ten per.'day-by the- ' Taranaki , ( agreement, but, even this restriction, in ! the opinion of .Mr. Singleton,' Government : Dairy Instructor, led to'lusty work, and ] deterioration in the quality of the cheese ' produced.- In .order to give greater latitude, we havo'fried the-hours at 70 per week. This, we' thiuk ought'to enable'the w'ork : .to be "done' wifhout increased''expenditure in the shapi of ; payment of overtirne. The time required "for the daily , work.-Jit,butter factories, is'less than. that ih.checfe facioriesj hut.as'sdme factories manufacture clifese at oiie time,-and but- ' fer at .another;,the.Court, has decided not ' to.make'ahy distinction between, the two classes : of. factories. '.'The'.Canterbury '•; award, which, does not-include cheese fac- '' tories,- fixes the hours of work at 52 per ' week,during ; six months of the year, and 44, "during the .remainder 'of the year."'' WAIR'ARAPA A. AND P. SOCIETY.- , The general committee .of the Wairarapa ..and .'East Coast A. and P. - Society rhet in their.offices-in Carterton on .Friday last; '25 members bein<: present, with Mr.'. E.-.'Kagle, vice-president, ■ in th-9 chair.. It. was resolved .to, hold, the next fihow. .of the society on..Wednesday and Thursday, October -2fi 27. The New Zealarid";Jersey Cattl? hreeders' Association, offered their- gold' medals to the society for its next show for champion Jersey bull and cow, which were accepted, and for which a hearty vote of thanks was accordtd the association. Six new members were declared duly elected. The financial statement was satisfactory, and showed steady progress by the society. Accounts amounting to £5 13s. 2d. .we-re passed for payment. EKETAHUNA FARMERS' UNION SHOW. The sixteenth annual' show, under the anspices of the Eketahuna branch of the Farmers' Union will be. held on Thursday, and gives promise, of being a big success (writes our correspondent). One hundred and fifty-seven entries havo been received for 'field events, which include priz?-takers from Hie larger shows. For' tu2 elcven-slouc hack there are 19 entries, for the ladies' hack 12, for the hunting' competition 16, for the horsejump 10, for the milt tret 11,' and for the two-mile trot 11. The horticultural k and industrial'exhibits'are also larje.-. '