Organiser's Report
Maoriland Worker, Volume 12, Issue 223, 13 April 1921, Page 9
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Organiser's Report
BOSSES BROUGHT'TO K££L.
Organiser J. Townsend (Oamaru) writes as follows: "While in the Asnburtou district I- missed Lockhead's mill. 1 heard in Rakaia that the men on this null ,were paid off at 21/- a thousand for oats, and 25/- a thousand for wheat, these rates covering all bonuses and shifting time. I saw Lockhead's manager at Rakaia and asked him if this was right, and he replied that that was his business. I told him that I would find out whether what I had been informed was true, and that, if so. I would make him pay more than that. He laughed and told mc to go on with it. I did go on with it, and sent Mr. Georgcson of the Labor Department along, with the result that the Department nas just notified mc that it has collected £1/12/- per man from Loc'khead. *1 think, accordingly, that the laugh Is on my side now. The above amounts have been paid to the millhands, with the exceration of J. Carlton and Watson Williams. The Department has Carlton's address, but does not know that of Williams, which, I think, is in Dunedin somewhere. 13 Williams sees, this and will send h'3 address to the Christchurch Laboi Department he will receive £1/12/-, as the rest have done.
I have also had to nut the f.abor Department on to Patterson of Y/a'.er.ton. His mill finished,up the season on March 25, and Patterson informed the men that he. was only going to pay 22/6 a thousand for wheat, and 20/6 a thousand for oats and no shifting time, as he said he had been informed by-the Millowners' Association that that was a fair rate. - All hr.ncls bar two refused settlement at this rate, and one man (Lloyd) came down here lo see mc about it. I at once wired the Department, and also wrote. Nothing was done, howevor, till March 31, when Mr. Georgeson came down and saw Lloyd and then Patterson. The result was that Patterson had to ■pay-25/5 a thousand for wheat, and 23/5 a thousand for oats to cover tntusual rate plus bonuses, shifting time and lunches. Sevennenoe per set was added fo time woiked oft hourly rates as the Inspector was -not satisfied with the way the time had been kept, and the. men had no lunches while on hourly rates. The men thereby got 1/11 a thousand on contract and 7d. per set on hourly rates more than the boss offered them at settling up time. Lloyd was paid off, and the rest of the mil'lhands, on application to Patterson, will receive the above, payments and receipts for same must be sent by Patterson to the Labor Department. THIS WILL BE ABOUT £5 PER MAN for those who went through
the season with this mill. One man, H. Darbyshire, who lives at Maxwelltown, Wanganui, had to leave the mill and go into Ashburton Hospital for a time, and he also will receive more money on application to Patterson. BETWEEN THESE TWO MILLS THE AMOUNTS THAT THE WORKERS WOULD HAVE LOST HAD THE MATTER NOT BEEN PLACED IN THE HANDS OF THE LABOR DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT £65 to £70."
With regard to the work in North Otago, Organiser Townsend says: — "Things are going well. The membership will run out at about that of last year, but there are more financial members on the mills than last season. There are also a few more farmers' sons, who are hard to get, but I have met with some real good crowds. On the following mills all hands joined: Mannix's, Boyce's, Saunders' and Dobson's. On another mill one man would not come in, end the unionists refused to work with him —he soon left the mill. I'm banking £35, the amount gathered since I started here."
