The Times. PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. "We nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1918 SHARE-MILKING CONTRACTS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 378, 24 May 1918, Page 2

The Times. PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. "We nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1918 SHARE-MILKING CONTRACTS.

Disputes between employers and share - milkers form a regular sequel to the close ot a milking season and in the Interests of all parties it seems unfortunate that some agreement based on justice and fairness cannot be generally adopted. In a recent issue we published the findings of Mr W. J. King, of Waiuku, in regard to a share-milker's claim, which had been the subject of arbitration, Mr King having acted as umpire. Without going into the merits or

demerits of the question at issue

we consider that as a layman Mr King is to be congratulated on the clear and straightforward manner in which lie sets forth the reasons that have guided him in arriving at the conclusions he did, and the same, it must be recognised, are based in accordance with magisterial decisions given under similar circumstances. It is easy to see that many complications would arise if agreej ments were to be allowed to be read in a much broader sense j than conveyed by their defined terms and in this particular instance it must not be overlooked that two Directors of the New Zealand Dairy Association were called as witnesses and gave evidence to the effect that deferred payments were intended to be regarded as dividends for the employer in respect of shares held by him in the Association. It njust also be borne in mind that share-

milkers have reaped the advantage of securing their proportion of the enhanced value of butterfat and if by means of the deferred payments last year employers received at the- end of the season a larger slim than usual such can very properly be regarded as being a set-off against the inflated cost of fertilizers and farming materials they have had to bear. At the same time, as Mr King in effect points out, it is a wrong principle for the sharemilker's l enumeration to be solely guided by the Association's payments for it is conceivable that circumstances might arise necessitating money being more or less indefinitely held up and then " monthly cheques " would be

little in amount—to the detriment of the share-milker. Equity and justice therefore demand that some well-defined form of agreement should be drafted, which will preserve the common interests of employer and employee alike.