THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9393, 13 March 1909, Page 2

THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

WAGES AND EOYALTIES. A has shown 1 the Manawatn Times figures taxon from the books of certain mills and carefully analysed. These show that the average pay at ■ these mills for the past fortnight amounted to £6 12s per man, including cutters, and at £6 2s 3%d taking the mill hands alone—this without any overtime. Scutchers averaged IGs per day for six mouths • though no overtime was worked. The cost of putting the fiax f.o.b. Wellington, from the mills, exclnsive of interest on capital, or swamp maintenance, to £l7 10s per ton. It must be obvious that this does not leave a margin. With regard to Montoa swamp rovaltie’s, Mr John Stevens states: 11 On this estate tbs royalties, are 1 on

a scale made in 1907 and in ! continuous use since !then. Under this scale the High Commissioner’s weekly report jon the first Monday in each month is taken >s the basis of value upon which the royalty is calculated. The royalty under the scale is |as follows 3s per ton of green flax whefa'the London price is from £32 to £3O; 6s when it is £25; ?/when it is £34 ; 9s when £25 ; 11a when £26; 12s 6d when £27; 13s 6d at £2B; 15s 6d £29; 17s £3O; and so on till the maximum of 30a at £40 — if such a priefe were ever realised, is reached. HoW/this works specially in favour of the miller when the price is down by reducing the price of flax to millers at a rate greater than the reduced price of fibre in London from time to time is thus shown. When last month the price of fibre in London was £24 10s the Moutoa pride was for green blade, 8s 6d per ton { taking 8 % tons of green bladel'to one ton of "dressed fibre, this makes £3 13s 3d per ton of dressed fibre. The London price is now £23 5s and the royalty at 5a would be £2 2s 6d. Thus the royalty miller in Moutoa is®£l 9a 9d better off per ton at £2B than he was at £24 10s Contrast this with the figures given to and accepted as correct by the Minister for Labour.”