UNION NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 462, 19 June 1909, Page 3

UNION NOTES.

[Thin column is edited-by Hie PlusmilU Employees’ Union Executive. All matters for publication under this head must he forwarded to the Secretary of the Union.!

WANTED: WINTER OA '

The Moutoa swamp shut down on the 15th inst., and those of us who have not laid up the necessary treasure upon earth are considering our swag straps and greasing our watertights. Messrs Bock and Coley and Messrs Wm. Ross and Son, are reported to be going to run right through the winter. This must be comforting to those who are fearlul of the future of phormiura. A CONTRACT.

The Manawatu Daily Times, with the pessimism it usually affects when the hemp industry is concerned, shows us the reverse of the medal. It was therein reported during the past week that the directorate of Messrs’ A. and X. Seifert Ltd., had decided to commission Mr Alfred Seifert to take a trip abroad, visiting especially the Philippines and Yucatan with a view to ascertain whether or not it was worth while continuing milling in New Zealand. There is as little doubt that the two places selected are well worth writing up in the fibre interest as of the suitability of the man chosen to do so, but if the reason of the trip is to arrive at a decision as to the termination of milling here it would appear to be rather like taking a sledge-hammer to kill a mosquito. We admit that there is a possibility of an optimistic spirit being abroad amongst the workers, owing to the enormous money which (according to certain • people) we have of late years been making, but we must confess to having fairly good grounds on which to base our faith in the future of the product. We prefer to accept the Dominion’s report, that Mr Seifert is taking the trip on the grounds of health. At all events we are looking forward with considerable interest to the report of the visit. We have a pleasing recollection of the pamphlet issued by Mr Cohen after his trip, and an up-to-date one by a practical man will be valuable as a supplementary bulletin, A WAIL ON WAGES. The Palmerston morning contemporary, with the impulsiveness which characterises it, rushes in, apropos of Mr Seifert’s trip, where angels would fear to tread and shrieks in staccato notes as to the injustice of the Award being made with a £33 market. Let us analyse this idea, taking the Moutoa scale (admittedly a severe one) as a basis. Taking to-day’s price as ,£23 gives us a difference in the market of £lO. When the award Was made the royalty charged was £1 2s fid. At 8)4 tons green this gives us a charge of £g ns 3d per ton dry. Today’s royalty works out at £2 2s fid, deduct the difference in royalty from the difference in price and you have £2 lis3dto be faced by the miller as the actual drop in values. Does the Manawatu Times, or any other paper, mean to tell us that a sanely financed business coporation, admittedly floated at the top of a boom would not have made allowance for a fall of this magnitude ? But even allowing that the promoters estimated an average price of (a golden dream !) it must be borne in mind that Judge Sim definitely declined to hear any evidence as to profits as he stated he was there merely to fix a living wage. Why then does the Manawatu Times so furiously rage and so futilely consider a vain thing ? THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH.

We understand that Mr King of Foxton, has bought Messrs Bock and Coley’s mill and will take it over on the Ist prox. We are also informed that the latter gentlemen have purchased Mr Oliver Austin’s little mill and will continue to run it during the winter. It would certainly strike an unpredjudiced outsider that these gentlemen must be acting Very rashly in making these purchases without the necessary visit to Manila and Yucatan. But we may draw comfort from the fact that they were milling when the directorate of Messrs Seifert Btd., was being spanked by its respective nurses; hence from these changes we may renew the strength of our belief in New Zealand hemp. MORE AGITATION! The management committee will meet special delegates from Tokomaru, Binton and Miranui at Shannon on Saturday evening next. Two weeks later it is the intention of the Executive to meet the Rangitane and Oroua Bridge delegates at a place to be arranged. The idea of meeting away fromFoxton is to secure the maximum attendance with the minimum of trouble to those concerned. We confidently anticipate a large attendance at these new series of meetings.