THE FLAXMILL WORKERS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1368, 20 February 1912, Page 6

THE FLAXMILL WORKERS.

"Wo are going to hold a meeting of the union on Thursday morning to decide whether we shall go on working or not," was the news told to a Dominion reporter yesterday by Mr. 11. 11. Dalhousie, president of the Flaxmill Workers' Union. "We met four representatives of the I'laxmillcrs' Association on Saturday, and they said 'No, no,' to everything .we proposed. They would not discuss the thing, and they said they had not been empowered by the association to discuss it. They were there merely to hand us the reply of the association, which they could have done much more easily by ietter, and it would have saved us from the trouble and expense of bringing H of our men from all over the district.

"We are not out for any increases in wjges, but simply for some improvements in working conditions for the cutters in tho flax swamps. Our principal request is that the cutter's flax shall bo weighed before it.is taken out to the mill by the triim-mon. Just now it is not, and the custom of guessing has given rise to a new word in flaxmilhng—'over-run.' Cutters are paid.at per ton; tram-men are paid also at per ton, but in the case of the tram-men their flax is weighed. It is to their interest to take in as much as they can, and to get as much as possible from the cutter. Very often as much- as a ton and a quarter is taken from the cutter as a ton. What ho gets more than tho cutter is credited with, he calls 'overrun.' A while ago .they made so much out of it that the niillors stepped in and said 'halves,' and now things are worse for the men in the swamps than ever. I know ono case of a trammer Trho made .£l6 in a fortnight out of 'over-run'— £B for himself and .£8 for. the miller.

"Oh, yes, we are under an award, and I don't want to see a strike, but I don't think the men will take much heed of the Act if they want to strike." The district affected reaches from Waikauae to Takapau, and from Rangitikei to Wairarapa. There are abont 37 mills in that area, and they are all working now. ■ .