CORRESPONDENCE. THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 450, 16 February 1909, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

MR ROSS ON WAG ICS,

[TO THE EDITOR.]

Sin. —I quite acknowledge the correctness of part of Mr Ross’ complaint regarding the average wage I struck. Unfortunately the statistics given by the Government leave much to be desired in this respect. They do not show, as Mr Ross pointed out, how long each man was employed at each mill. Still the result obtained was arrived at by dividing the total amount paid in wages by the number of wage-earners, and if a more correct way of working out an average can be put forward I shall' be gla Ito learn it. And yet it is not m far out as to call for such a burst of indignation aas is contained in th : peroration of your correspondent. Mr Ross states that no man woilhy ot the name would work for an average wage of 24s per week, at any rate that be (Mr Ross) would not want him. This makes good reading as it practically docs with the chance of any non-union fly-boy 'or catcher from Canterbury obi tabling employment in Mr Ross’ mill. The report of the Department of Labour for 190 b gives the following as the scale o£ wages ruling in Canterbury mills:—Stripper keeper £2 10s per week, enginedriver 7s and 8s per day, chief paddocker 7s 6d per day, feeder 7s per day, rest of hands 5s and 6s per day. Now, unless a man at 5s per day gets in lull time right through (a most unlikely occurrence), he comes perilously near the figures which Mr Ross so rightly and so emphatically condemns. But for the present let us take your correspondent’s advice and confine our attention to our own district. Let me say, first and foremost, that I personally, am quile content to accept the figures given without any examination of his wages book. We must lake into account as he does, the fact that during the two winter mouths most of our men are unable to find employment. Premising this, the amounts quoted by Mr Ross would work out as follows for the year of 52 weeks: —Feeder £2 12s per week, catcher £2, beuchloader £2, shakers and rouseabouts £1 16s, paddocker £2 6s, scutcher £2 10s, 3 cutters £4, 1 cutter £2 7s, 1 cutter £2 16s. It will be noticed from this average, to which I do not think any exception can be taken, that the highest wages were made by the cutters —wuo are not under award ! At any rate I am sure that none of your readers will consider any of the award wages unduly high. "None of them spell more than bread and butter (with perhaps an occasional dab of jam) for a married man with a family, and there are surely other ways of salving the industry than by sacrificing the saccharine stickiness so dear to the heart and palate of childhood. I may add in conclusion, that the average I struck, was not made out with “ intent to deceive.” Our case is too good for such devious ways, my meaning was doubtless clumsily expressed and I am indebted to your correspondent for giving me the necessary lead to make things clear. So much for Mr Ross’ letter under reply. Now sir there was printed in yesterday’s New Zealand Times, a statement which should make very interesting reading for your recent correspondent 11 Lux.” It consisted of the official returns of fibre exported from the Dominion in January 1909, and the corresponding month of last year. There is a heavy falling off all round, but analysing the figures they work out thus: Wellington, Napier, Foxton : Shrinkage in export 36 per cent, under award rate of wages. Auckland, Blenheim, Lyttelton, Dunedin. Bluff : Shrinkage in export 55 1-3 per cent, not under award rate of wages. “Lux” quoted a lot of figures showing or purporting to show that the falling off in production was as great in districts affected by the award ns in those where no award was in force. How does the foregoing strike him ? Come along, Lux ! “ Let your light so shine ” ! It’s tip to you to explain away those figures.—l am, etc., Percy T. Robinson, Sec. Manawatp Flax Fhnployees Union.