DAIRY FACTORY EMPLOYES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8121, 28 May 1906, Page 2

DAIRY FACTORY EMPLOYES.

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Wellington, May 27. ' The Secretary of the Wharf Laborers tJuiou has received a copy of a a petition which is being sent round by the Seeretajy of the New Zealand Butter and Cheese Makers Union, a new association of employers, to the various dairy companies for signature ' by their employees. The petition is as 1 follows! " Wc, the undersigned, being permanent employees in dairy factories in New Zealand, pray that dairy 1 factories' employees be exempt by law 1 from the provisions of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act on the following grounds s (1) That the 1 operation of the Act would cause the closing of a Urge number of the smaller creameries altogether, and would cause dairy factory companies to close other creameries and factories for a longer period in winter, and many of us would be compelled to relinquish our present occupation ; (2) That no hardship would be occasioned by the exemptions of dairyiactories from the operation ,of the Factories Act. and we are of opinion that owing to the nature of the dairy business it is vital t6 the success, and even the existence of the industry, that we should be exempt from the operations of the Act [ (8) That owing to the nature of the busi. uess, the long hours we are required to work for a few months in the flush of the season, are counterbalanced by the shorter hours and lighter service during the remainder of the year; (4) That Jwing to the faot that the bulk of the dairy produce has to be exported and iold at market value, there is no ehanee Jf passing the '""eased cost of profaction on to the consumer; (5) That >wmg to the distanoe from the lad tio cost of roachrog it, the industry iere is at a disadvantage in comictition with other countries where reights and cost of production are ess, and that the operation of the Act, rould unduly increase the cost, and iamper production here; (6) That if at ny time circumstances (at present unorcseen) should compel the dairy actorics' employees to form themselves ato an Industrial Union, they may, us Dairy Factories' Employees Union, lavo the right to apply to the Court in he same manner as any other Indusrial union,

Tiie dairy factory worker who lor. warded the, copy of the petition wrote, slating tliat instead of having presented the petition to the men, it had been forwarded to the managers, who is most case 3 had signed it and handed it to the men, who, owing to the slack time of the season and out of foar of going on the " black board," have in most cases signed it, very mucli against their will. The managers themselves, he adds, genorally receive a salary of from £250 to £350 a year. Thoy do network on Sunday, and thoir average hours only amount to about forty a week, and yet they sign the petition as dairy factory employees. With reference to the terms of the petition}- he says lie knows instances where men who were actually dismissed for three months during the

winter because tho creameries are closed down, had been made to sign the petition, Dairy factories employees average from the middle of October to the middle of April, eighty-four hours per week, for which they are paid from £2 to £2 10s, working on holidays such as Christmas Day, New Year's

Day, Boxing Day ami Good Friday. Fop about three months in the year they average from sixty to serenty hours per week, and for tho remaining three months thirty-five hours weekly; but there are many cases where the men are only paid half pay during these three months, and when the creameries are closed down the men do not receive any pay at all, " What we, strongly object to," he writes, "is that owing to managers having signed the petition under the cloak of being dairy factory employees, the men have not dared to refuse their request to sign. In fact I know that if the petition had been presonted by one of the men it would have scarcely obtained a single signature" The matter will be brought under tho notico of the Premier on his return to the colony.