Flaxworkers' Dispute

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 August 1915, Page 3

Flaxworkers' Dispute

At I'alinersion on oatiuaay the Aiintiutioii L'uurt nsameu it mugs, tearing ol tne dispute ecu* ecu u.e millers and w oriiers being eunumieu xor tne niiilcis was taken. A. Seilorl stated tnai tne awiage, payments oi the 111 men at ..Ms. .nun lor seasons iUtii and iiaU was Aiiii

per man, and lor tne . ea.-,uii men had earned JJU< each, the reduction being due to the war and the reducing oi wages to the minimum, as allowed by the awaid. 1l was advisable to have a reasonable minimum, so that in time of crisis the men cuuld be kept in employment, instead ol being shut out. lie considered that the privilege to work a little overtime now and again was a benefit to the men, as is helped them to make up lost time. Eight shillings per ton was little enough for royalty un a llax swamp which would produce about Oi tons per acre Ho would say that WJ /s bd was the average cost per ton to product nbre at a mill favourably situated in tho Manawatu district. The average price received by tne miller was JL2I Us 8d per ton, and he did not consider the prolit an excessive one.

A Ross, flaxmiller, agreed with the evidence ot Mr Scifert with ,relerence tu his estimate of the cost ol production. The introduction ol the automatic scutcher had removed the necessity for paying higher wages to the hand scutchers. As regards contracts, it was desirable that the millers should have a free hand to let paddock work contracts where desirable.

George Keeble, accountant stated that lie acted as accountant to Messrs Akerj Jii os., fibre merchants. The linn had IioUU acres ol leasehold land in flax, and over a term of -1:2 years the return per acre had been Us ( Jd per acre per year. Jf turned into pasture it was estimated the land would return over double that amount. The amount 01 royalty paid ou fibre by the firm was >3s id per tci'i or 7a od per toil oil green leftl.

\V. i'ryor said that in IDIXi tiiero were 2-10 mills in the Dominion,' but in 1911 there were only 31, which showed the ups and downs of the industry. He was of opinion that the award of 190/ meant a large increase m wages Lo the workers in this district, and lie wa.s citioiigly in favour of that award ueing maintained. In reply to Mr l'lioni, witness stated there was a drop in the price of hemp in IUII.

Mr Pryor addressed the Court and said he hoped that because employers had paid higher than the award this wan not going to be a reason l'or any further increase. Even with a drop at the commencement of the war it was better to keep the men going at a • gilt reduction than to have the mills closed down. There wjis 110 other industry in the Dominion where the workers got such a largo share of the value :>f the material turned out, and this was all the more reason for great care in regard to fixing wages. A supplementary agreement in 1912 had put some ttle weaknesses right in the award.

Ml' Thorn drew attention to the laci that New Zealand flex had now practical] a monopoly on the Australian markets. Time after time in the Agrrcultural Journal millers were upbraided for turning out second-grade hemp when prices were high. The miller sacrificed his quality to follow the shortsighted policy of -making more money at the time.

Mr Pryor pointed oitt that tile exceptional demand in Australia was thi (result of being unable to get boats to bring lienip front the PhiUipines.

This concluded the sitting and the Court adjourned.