DAIRY PRODUCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 September 1924, Page 4

DAIRY PRODUCE.

< DAI I’AI! ISON OF COSTS,

INVERCARGILL. September 2,

S - caking at the annual minting of the s!nirelinldi'i.s of the Drummond Dairy Fa• tory last night. Air .101111 |,'i-Ik a memher 1 f the Dairy ( nlitliil Peal'd, in icpl.v t-i a re |llrsl Ini' a a

( iliij.'arisoii of the cost oi | i'i.dll'- lion taking the | a.st tsetp n and IHI I as a basis, said that in I:lI I the Otniitnii fa lory, ligiites for which coitkl he regard;l I as a fair aW'i'age. ] reduced a ):< ill lit I ef cheese for 2. l-'til. d hat included all 1 barges ITOIII the leiei'ing -tage to 1.11.11. This \(:!.' tin - (cat was U.-h-'nl. an im lease of l.lCd. or equivalent l-i I'i per cent its ((imputed with IDI-L The total working east under all heads was. HO.I a IL. in |H| I. as against 1.21 for I>l2l. a lis - of 111 per cent ;

while the wages |er t:.n had increased I nun L'2 3s 7d to £3 17s -.id. an iuerea.se of (it) per «cut. The actual ta.sh increase paid to managers since IHI-I was -II per cent, and this together with perquisites brought them up to the

Arbitration ('mill's increased cost, of living percentage. Assistants’ wages had gone up 72 per cent, l.tlt actual (ash increase.'; to assistants was only a little more than to the managers. Working conditions had pushed the | e:rentage •">, as more men had in he employed to-day. In 1911 £1 spent in wages handled 9.T.) gallons of milk, while in 1921 the same amount only handled (iO'.l gallons. The quantity handled a - counted for a good peivellt.ige of the increase. Fuel transport and storage had jumped 7S per emit, as compared with 1911. Ilailway rates had increased up to I of; per cent ; this was accounted for by the moving of their product* to a higher freight grade and surcharging it with -!0 per cent, war increases; those surcharges still remained.

In 101-1 they paid no storage, each factory storing its own cheese until advised of a bant. In Hilo when shipping; became congested factories could not hold cheese, with the result that cool stores were erected. The Clovernment guaranteed the iinance of those stores, that was a war measure; but ax it was now compulsory for everv factory to send its cheese through the stores which were recognised by the (iovernment as ollicinl grading stores, the lint which they laid to face was that- they were permanently saddled with the cost of storage which in 191-1 they were not called upon to bear. The average increase in tbe price obtained compared with 1911 was 32 per tent, -so that they were not getting the equivalent sis producers as they got in 191 I.

Assistants were asking for an increase in wages of from In to 20 per cent, with less milk t < handle ami shorter fours, li those were granted by the Arbitration Court it would lie a serious matter, as assistants also wanted a butter maker specialist. They would not have a chance against those countries which were not inflicted with siieli high labour ami transport eosis as New /'calami.