BUTTER AND CHEESE WORKERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 936, 1 October 1910, Page 10

BUTTER AND CHEESE WORKERS.

NEW AWARD SOUGHT,

■' Telcgrapli.— Special Correspondent J ; < Pplmsrston, September 30. , Thc. Arbitration Court &at atPalmer&« ton to-day, when the following na-mea. .were added, to . the-parties:. to . the Flax- . ... millers,' Aw aid: —Coley.Bros., Fostom: «?■and Co., Waipukurau: W. ''iV ■■. altoloy, Featlierston; Gibbs and Munro, .Foxton;. Firth and Raichell, : \\ airoa • W. Toogood and Sons; Fea- • ' a . n( j' T.. /Whitehead, Takapau."' .. -Tho application of -tho Butter and -. Cheese Workers' Union for a now. . : award was then taken, Mr. J. Robert-' appearing : . for the -union,; and .Mr. f:. ; " • Pryor for the employers. .■•' !•' '/ _ In opening tho case for the union, Mr. Robertson said that, the Court, when it . made' the last award, had, been : . misled.. Ho did' not wish •to cast reflections: upon anyone; but . would meio-. ly state that the case had not been, pro- : perly placed before the Court. " • ' • ' j His Honour:' You practically state' that the. Court was incompetent, and you are now going to show: what sort ■ " . of an .award should liavo been made,, instead of using tho old, award as .3s i ; basis for .the now one. • '*• • • Casa foY the Men. ■ Mr. Robertson, continuing,' said thai# last year the 'industry had been reprew " sonted to the .Court, as a languishing, • * : one, whereas it was in a healthy state,' . Ho quoted the balance-sheets of, sot*,' * oral businesses as proof of thiis..*. Tlk* '' price of butter-fat had .nover. been: better. Since the last award, hoWever, ' wages had suffered a material reduo tion, .some dating from just after th«. date of the award. During the present - season workers 1 .wages totalled £35,448, " equal on an annual wage of £103 7s. per capita, or a\weekly wage of 395. 9d. The total reduction in. wages was £3551, equal to . £10 6s. Bd.Von tlieaver- '• ago wage per year, or to 3s. 4d. pep' man per week.. In the northern .dis-' • tricts of the island;: there had beeni; ai 1 • increase of £9 in the yearly wage. la Taranaki the wage in 1909 was £109, and in 1910 it was • £108 lis.—a decrease of 9s. - In the Wellington' di&- •. . • trict there was a decrease of £10 6s. 8& - . " on . the. annual wage. '•■ Further 'statistics' . : ; v ■ were quoted as .tending to show th« • • progress of tho industry.' '/ ••• liis Honour asked if. Mr.! Robertson; ■ - had worked out what the wages would"," ■ be if tho. demands ,of tho union had ; , : : been granted in toto.. • . : . Observation by the Judge. - . Mr. Robertson said that.he had nofifl. - • worked out the Tosult on tho basis sug- . gested by tho Court. : i f■ .His Honour: That's' just thorpoint« I merely asked to:seo if you had work- ■ ed out' what .the union's demands ac- •. tually. were' to seo if you understood s , w;hat you jvere really asking for. Some- ■ times it appears to'mo that unions dor • not .fully appreciate what thoy. ask. ;. •' ' : Mr. Robertson pointed, out that'! :'thoi . increased activity of tho industry'coil-., duced to longer hours, • which . varied ' from .48 to. CO hours per ..week, 1 and •' generally .there was a tendency to work' • '■■ the men longer'hours than, before' . ' award •' came into -force. Preference 1 for • ?i;: uuionists was urg<Kl principally on. the, " grounds*that -the presence of -unionists . '. tended towards an-observance, of tha . . award, whilst their absence : led to a* i.-y: certain slackness. • . • mV.v Robertson then gave evidence and put in diagrams showing the: prices ; v : : /obtained for? butter;and. chcesho, and • statistics« Showing tho wages paid in : the!. North,lsland. : :' \

. In reply to his Honour; witness : ad- : -mitted .that tho. prices.'.for. butter and. cheeso were lower, but-, this was mader-v ■ up; for by .improved: methods.. " Walter U.. Duncan; ;"Wilson^-..' Nils Olson, and Bunyan. Pearce gav® : evidence on - behalf., of the union. For tha Employers. " - For. the: employers, Mr.' Pryor said • . that Mr. Robertson, in ■ dealing with > ' the; 1909 and 1910 seasons, was not - .' 1 relevant, and the only thing'that, could liavo a bearing was tho conditions since ' the/.award ;/>vas:mails;;. : Regarding:,, the ; ;; ■..: suggested ■ increase of- wages,--he said . that -if -:the wages:were increased in the:• Wellington district the riso would bo followed by, an • application: for: an increase in tho Taranaki'district.-and tliia;- ! would in .tuni bo probably followed'by another request from Ha , 'was 1 not awaro of tho decreased • wages':,; to workers, -and. his evidence would go to show' that in'tho large factories the award rates 'had been looked upon - aa - . minimum rates, 1 and acted upon aa such. Ho would call evidenco to show that creamery and factory working was the favourite industry in tho country, and- that, directors had more applica-» tions for work than , they could deal with. Several of the proposed condi-. tions were quite - impracticable,. especi« v.ally those with regard to tho status of - factories, and tho wages paid also with regard to the cartago of cream. Regarding the. hours, of. work, the 7 evidence* \ ;. of Mr. Singloton showed'that, tho limit ; was a 70-hours' week with regard to ■ cheese, but : tho factories did.-not take ' : aiivthing-liko that time. Tho hours' through■ the seasoii in buttor-making };;; were probably loss than: , tho.union asked, but ill' the..flush of it : was necessary -to Vwork'; longer. It was quite impossible to tie down an industry like this within' 'presented limits. '■ r..--r-

Evidence on behalf of the employers was given by C. R: Beattie, -James * T.- West, Stanley' Mackenzie, G. 6. Taylor, and F. J. Nathan, aftei which the Court adjourned.