THE LOT OF THE DAIRY FACTORY EMPLOYEE.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 1920, Page 2

THE LOT OF THE DAIRY FACTORY EMPLOYEE.

To the Editor. Sir,—Kindly erant me space fo nnko a protest and I'ivo a warning to land speculators In the dairying districts. In a certain district >■ many miles from Mt. Epnont. where the Miiipl'eTH to the dairy factory number about thirty, land speculator*-, have walked away durIntr the lust twelve months with profits exceedinsr £23,000. All tills while flic factory employee (the man who really counts in the dairying '.'idustry, the man who has enabled

th/ speculator to make these huge profits out of land sales) received £3 10s per week for about eight months in th# year. The remaining four months his services arc not required, bo he is dumlssed. Ho Is probably then Informed that he imay come back when the season begins, anJ so It goes on until he becomes expert in his work, and is elevated to the position of first assistant, for which he receives the magnificent sum of four guineas per week. 1 think, llr. Editor, you will agree with me when 1 say this is the lowest wage paid for eipert labor in this country. Speculators and farmers would be well advised to see that their factory employees are well paid for their services (whieii means that they Should bo the highest and not the lowest paid'tradesmen). or so surely as I write this, dairy farmers will be faced with the problem of insufficient expert labor to carry on their industry, and this in tlia very near future. Perhaps I will be asked why I expect such a state of affairs will occur. X will endeavor to explain: (1) It is becoming well known that work In a dairy factory is detrimental to health, and to Induce men o take up the work the highest wages must be paid; (2) the expert must have a knowledge of several trad«i oilier than the actual manufacture of dairy produce. Therefore he Is In a position to take up work which commands a higher price; (3) the hours are anything up to 72 per week, without overtime, this, at tho average carpenter's, tinsmith's or engineer's wage of 2s Od per hour works out at £9 per week; (4) the employee, after having manufactured an article which brings a high price on tho' market, Is not going to stand by and see the results of his labor turned into fortunm for the speculator while he himself has no prospect of ever becoming any better oil.—l am, etc., "CHEDDAR."