DAIRY PRODUCTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 May 1939, Page 3

DAIRY PRODUCTION

DEMANDS BY FACTORY . WORKERS CONCILIATION COUNCIL DISCUSSION. POSITION OF THE FARMER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Declaring that it was just as well to “get it off their chests,” the parties in the dairy workers’ dispute in the Conciliation Council in Wellington yesterday had a long discussion on condi-. tions of employment in the industry and farming conditions generally. The workers sought a 40-hour week. The employers asked for an extension of the period under the old award in which the longer hours (52 a week) could be worked, and a corresponding reduction in the period of shorter hours (38 a week). The quality of the cheese demanded by the London market could not be maintained by decreasing the hours of work, contended an employers’ assessor. Mr J. Roberts, agent for the workers, agreed that time should be allowed to keep up the quality, but said that no one could expect human beings to become machines fitting in with the chemical processes in making cheese. They required rest to maintain their .efficiency. The quality could be maintained by employing more hands and making the hours of work less tedious. Mr T. O. Bishop, employers’ agent, said that the smaller cheese factories, particularly those in the South Island, wanted an extension of hours on the. ground that they could not cope with the work under the present hours.

“You want more hours worked, but you don’t offer us any increases in wages,” said Mr Roberts. He added that the period during which 38 hours a week was worked was just a joke, as by then there was practically no work in the factories and the men were put off. HOLIDAYS AND LONG HOURS. It was pointed out by an employers’ assessor that the workers received three weeks’ annual leave to compensate them for the long hours. Tne fact that men were walking out of dairy factories, many of which were threatened with having to .close down as a result, was due to the unattractive conditions of employment, said Mr H. J. McKeown (Auckland). Conditions had been improved in other classes of work, and they were attracting more and more workers from farms and dairy factories. It took eight to 10 years for an employee in a dairy factory to become fully qualified. Many faced substantial costs to educate themselves to the highest standard of efficiency, and at the end of that time the worker had to slog .for 52 hours for £5 10s a week. Was that a just reward? “The writing is on the wall for the dairy factories if you do .not make the conditions of work better,” he added. THE BACKBLOCKS FARMER. Comparison with other workers was all very well, said Mr H. E. Pacey (Auckland), but what of the backblocks farmer, who, after all, was the producer? By comparison with the dairy worker his conditions of work were less attractive. He was also vitally bound up in the welfare of the industry. It was not correct to suggest that dairy factories were closing for the given by Mr McKeown, said Mr Pacey. Increasing costs had been one of the factors contributing to dairy-farmers being pushed off their land. Production had decreased and was decreasing further. If costs were to be increased further it would cause more people to go out of business, to the disadvantage of the economic life of the country. The sterling funds in London were low enough without being further lowered by decreased exports. Mr Roberts sad production in New Zealand was dropping, not for the causes mentioned by Mr Pacey, but because farmers were not prepared to work as they did formerly. The farmer was quite candid about this, said Mr Roberts. Most of them took up the attitude that they were not going to “bust” themselves for the sake of the man with the mortgage. Many other issues raised were irrelevant, contented Mr Roberts. The main facts were that the wages of the dairy worker were equivalent to 2s Id an hour, less than a labourer received.

“No. The issue is the 'quality of the cheese,” interjected an employers assessor, who pointed cut that cheese of the quality demanded on the London market could, not be made up unless adequate time was allowed for its manufacture. LABOUR AND QUALITY. “I agree, but to achieve this end you want the human being to become a machine, fitting in with the chemical precesses in making cheese,” said Mr Roberts. The same argument hacl been raised when the man worked, 60 and 70 hours, he said. He agreed that not enough labour was being put into the making of cheese, but for the value of the production when it was manufactured the industry employed the least amount of labour possible. No one could expect a man to become a machine. He required sufficient rest so as to maintain his standard of efficiency, and this could be achieved by easier working hours and by employing more hands. The commissioner: “You have had a good argument on politics and economics, but you have drifted well away from the proposals. How about getting down to business?” “It was just as well to get all this eff our chests," said an assessor, remarking that the way would probably new be paved for the most serious matters before them. AWARD PROPOSALS The workers asked that cheese-cur-ing and packing rooms, and depots, vacuum packers, pasteurising, bottling and distributing depots, herd-testing associations, processed cheese factories and creameries be added to the classes of factories. Opposition was expressed by employers, and it was agreed to refer this matter to the Court of Arbitration. The employers offered rates of pay as in the past award, ranging from £5 114 s to £4 10s, but sought a reduction in the wages of the man in charge of

casein creameries on the ground that the rise granted in the last award (equivalent to 35 per cent) was too great, in view of other concessions he received, such as a free house. In connection with hours, the employers offered the same classification as in the past award, but sought an extension of the period during which the longer hours could be worked in cheese factories, and a reduction in the period during which the shorter hours could be worked. The employers offered the old award clauses applying to holidays and overtime. Substantial wage increases were sought in the workers' counter-claims, the rates ranging from £8 a week for foremen to £5 5s a week for all other hands. A 40-hour week for all workers was sought. The workers asked for additional statutory holidays, including Sundays and overtime to be paid for at the rate of time and a half for the first two hours and double time thereafter. The hearing is being continued today.