AN OPEN LETTER TO FLAXWORKERS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2395, 21 February 1922, Page 3

AN OPEN LETTER TO FLAXWORKERS.

(By Well-Wisher.) Employees, you have received the following notification from your Union Secretary:— “A stop-work mass meeting of the FI ax workers will be held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Cuba Street, Palmerston North, on Wednesday, February 22nd, 1922, at 11.30 a.m. Business : To consider joint action in opposing the proposed drastic wage cut in the flax industry. Fellow workers, this proposed drastic cut in your wages is the direct concern of yourself and dependants, so therefore do not leave it to your work mates to decide, but attend yourself and protect those that are dependant upon you. Further, that owing to the Flaxmillers’ Association refusing to have any signed agreement, workers will be at the mercy of the unscrupulous employer and liable to a further cut in wages at any time. All absent workers will signify by their non-attendance that they support the decisions arrived at by those present.” Let me remind you that this time last year the Foxton millers made you an offer, that if you would accept a reduction of Is per day, making daily men rate 14s 6d per day, that they would guarantee you two months’ work at that rate. You preferred to accept other advice that the millers were bluffing, etc. Result: Workers lost five months’ work, and started not at 14s 6d, but at 14s. Millers had to pay five months’ interest, insurance, taxes, and did a lot of - unnecessary repairs, found work at odds and ends for a number of men, and lost touch with several markets. Now you are about to discuss practically the same-thing again, and if you decide the same as last year, the resultwill be the same, as the millers cannot continue operations on the present basis of costs. The millers are daily losing money, and this is not an attempt any more than last year to force you .to accept lower wages to enable millers to make more profit; it is simply that millers must turn out the-fibre for less money to enable them to pay their way (including your wages), or go out of existence until the market price improves, or you meet the position fairly. Another aspect you must remember is that for the next three months, the best milling weather lime of the year, there should be little or no broken time, and even with the reduction the weekly earnings will be better than the past three months- under present rates. One other point: Last year most-of the millers could afford to lay out a certain amount in overhauls, and socalled improvements; this year millers have not got it to -spend, so Hint there will be little or no relief that way. Millers are up against it just as badly as you are, and have their dependants to consider first. There is no bluff so far as the millers are concerned, and every man who is a flax worker should attend the meeting and decide the question for himself, the decision to be by a majority of workers, not as it was last year. In this connection millers are putting motor lorries at your disposal. They will leave the Post Office promptly at 9.30 on Wednesday (to-morrow) morning, and all flaxworkers who will attend the meeting are entitled to a seat on condition they attend the meeting. The meeting called is a mass meeting of flaxworkers, and therefore all who are in any way eonected with the industry are entitled to attend.

Millers are making the following offer, 10 per cent, reduction on present rates, which work out as follows: —Feeders, 13s 6d per day; other day workei's, 12s 8d per day; band scutchers, 28s per ton; automatic .scutchers, 16s per ton; paddocking, summer rates 20s Bd, per ton, winter rates, 23s fid; fibre carters, £3 14s per week; flax-cut-ters, now 9s, new rate 8s Id per tun; flax-cuttei’s, now Bs, new rate 7s 2d per ton; flax-cutters, now 7s fid, new rate, 6s 9d per ton.