WOOLLEN WORKERS' ATTITUDE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2730, 27 March 1916, Page 8

WOOLLEN WORKERS' ATTITUDE

MASS MEETING AT PETONE. Ifc is estimated that about 2500 persons assembled at the Petone Recreation Grounds yesterday to hear the Woollen Workers' side of the case in connection with the present dispute. The Mayor of 'Petone (Mr. J.- W. M'Ewan) presided, and in opening, congratulated tlie mill workers on their behaviour, wliich had been of the best, and expressed the opinion that by maintaining good conduct, their battle was half won.,- The speaker also stated that there was no doubt as to the justice of their claim, and compared wages at the mill in 1900, which were £2 2s. and £2 55., when flour was £7 10s. per ton, to the present day, when the price had risen to , £14 10s. Cheese was then sd. per lb.; to-day it was 9d., and meat had gone up fully 100 per cent. Mr. M'Ewen added that lie would be, prepared^to do what ho could to assist the parties concerned in ■bringing about a settlement. (Applause.) "" | The. president of the union (Mr. A. Anderson) said that they wanted' to show cause why they bad left the mill for other employment. It was hot'a strike—(hear,' hear) —and no demands were made at the pistol point: They had simply asked for more on account of the increased cost of living, as' the men could not live on £2 Bs. per week. "Tho directors had refused to listen to them, until the overtime was stopped, and then they agreed to give 6 per ccnt. increase. On £2 Bs. this meant an increase to £2 JOs. 4<l. 3 and a girl receiving £1 per weak: would get £1 Is. (Cries of -"Not enough.") The speaker contended that when sick and holiday time was dAlacted, a man at £2 8s". only averaged £2 6s. per week, at a time when a sevorcign was worth 16s. / Mr. Anderson referred to the profits made by the woollen mills, and spoke of recent cases of alleged victimisation of girls in Wellington, concluding by stating tliat the Wellington ers had" bought £50 worth of tickets' for the concert on -"-Tuesday. (Loud applause.) ' • '

Miss Foster said that the cost of living had increased 4s. in' the £, and they only asked for 2s. 1 Tho speaker stressed the point that just as it paid to keep a motor-car in order, so it did to attend to the human frame.

; Mr. E. Kennedy (secretary) said there were 55 men, 20 boys, and 145 women and girls concerned in the question. Three of tlie men received £3 per week, two received £2 165., Tour received £2 145., four received £2 125., thrcd» received £2 10s./and thirty-nine £2 Bs. Of tho women, he claimed that the average wage was 255. per week. The speaker went fully into the question of the conferences between the employers and the union, and added [ that if tho A.S.R.S. received the shilling a day asked for, they (the mill workers) would, if they got 10 per cent, rise, be receiving 2s. per week less than .what the A.S.R.S. got now. In con-, elusion Mr. Kennedy stated that the girls and women would stay out, until the public, who were, tho judges in these matters, told them they must go in. (Cheers and applause.)" ' Mrs; Kent, another female. worker, said that tliey had boen asked to be patriotic, but she wondered what the hoys at tho front would .say if they knew that their sisters and sweethearts were weaving khaki under such eondi.tions. (Cheers.)

I Messrs. JI. Holland, P. Curtice, P. Fra-zer, Bruce, and M'Keiizie (2), alsu spoke, and one of the girls, who failed to obtain employment after having been engaged, told her story, stating that she had been given 3s. for inconvenience. ' •

A telegram was received from Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., apologising for his absenco from the meeting as lie was busy recruiting. He stated that- he had suggested to the Minister Stato control of the woollen mills during the war, so that war profits could be reduced and • yet. living wages be paid. With this control should go taxation of war profits. ,