THRESHING MILLS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 52, Issue 248, 2 August 1932, Page 7

THRESHING MILLS

NO AGREEMENT AS TO WAGES. SETTLEMENT ON OTHER CLAUSES (Special to the "Guardian.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Agreement in.all clauses except that of wages was reached in. a dispute heard in the Conciliation Council yesterday between parties "to the North Canterbury Threshing Mills Employees' Award. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr S. Ritchie) reported afterwards that proceedings throughout had been conducted with good feeling and that both sides had freely expressed their desire for a satisfactory agreement. After an unofficial discussion between the assessors of both parties on the subject of wages the employers' assessors had come back to the chamber with an increased offer. The employees' assessors had undertaken to report the new offer to the general body of workers and to notify their acceptance or otherwise on August 31. The employers were represented by Messrs F. Lill, J. Curragh, H. Talbot and L. L. Gillespie, and the employees by Messrs C. E. Baldwin,,A. J. Hamilton and A. Pike. Tlie employers' claims were as follow: (1) The hours of work shall be left to the discretion of the employers' representatives and the workers' representative, who shall confer at the beginning of the season and inform the workers concerned of their decision; but no worker shall be required to work by moonlight or artificial light except in cases of emergency, when 30 minutes may be allowed to finish a (2) (a) The minimum number of hands to be employed on each mill shall be as follows: Driver, feeder, three stackmen, two bagmen, one strawman, and in camp one cook and one waterman; (c) no youth under the age of 18 years shall be employed on any mill; (d) where American mills or mills of similar pattern are used, then the number of hands to be employed shall not be less than five, excluding draymen not covered by this award. (3) (a) When the crop does not run at least SO bushels an hour workers shall be paid by the hour. (b) The minimum rate for workers employed by the hour shall be Is 2d per hour (4) (a) A sleeping whare, a cook s cralley cooking utensils, and coal shall be provided to the men by the employer at the charge of Is 3d per man per week, and the food supplies shall be provided on the co-operative system, (c) The wages for a cook shall be £2 10s per week and found. Seven days constitute a cook's week. (5) In every case a representative or the men shall be elected or chosen for each mill at each camp, and all trivial disputes that may arise not in contravention of this award shall be decided by the representative of the employer whose decision shall be final. (6) When the crop runs GO bushels or over, piecework may me worked at not less than the following rates, viz.: 12s per 1000 bushels for wheat and barley; 10s per 1000 bushels for oats. Bagmen Is extra. (7) Drivers and feeders shall be exempt from the provisions of this award The provisions of this award shall not apply to the farmer threshing his own grain on his own farm with his own mill, i . , » (8) The award shall come into, force on November 1, 1932, and small remain in force until July 31, 1033. Counter Proposals. The principal clauses of the employees' counter-proposals were: When the crop does not run at least 100 bushels an hour workers shall be paid by the hour. The minimum rate for workers employed by the hour shall be 2s o£d per hour, i i n i or The wages for a cook shall be ho per week and found. When the crop runs 100 bushels an hour or over piecework may be worked at not less than the following rates, viz £1 0s 6d per 1000 bushels for wheat or barley, 18s 6d per 1000 bushels for oats. If while engaged on piecework the worker shall not earn the equivadent of hourly wages, the deficiency shall be made up by the employer. Bagmen, whether' on hour-work or piecework, shall be paid Is per 1000 bushels in addition to the rates hereinbefore provided. The bakmen shall keep a tally of all grain, etc., threshed. _ All men shall assist in the shifting of the mill, and shall be paid not less' than 2s o§d per 1000 bushels for all grain-threshing or, pea-threshing, the minimum hourly rate shall apply. It was agreed that feeders' wages could not be fixed in the award, but that they were governed by the award in all other respects. At the conclusion of the conference representatives of both parties expressed their thanks to Mr Ritchie for his efforts to assist them to reach an agreement.