LABOUR COSTS IN CHEESE-MAKING

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22436, 24 June 1938, Page 12

LABOUR COSTS IN CHEESE-MAKING

THREAT TO INDUSTRY SEEN PLIGHT OF SMALL FACTORIES T N SOUTH ISLAND (FBBS3 ASSOCIATION TILIOBIM.) NEW PLYMOUTH, June 23. “Unless something is done to improve the position, the cheese industry is going to be almost wiped out in the South Island, and seriously affected in the North Island," Mr A. Morton told the National Dairy Conference in his presidential address, in which he complained that labour costs were prac’tically prohibitive. Labour costs in cheese factories 1 were the greatest problem facing the dairy industry to-day, he said, and the position was getting steadily worse. He attended the South Island Dairy Farmers’ Conference and was astounded at the statements made there about the position. It was shown that costs were practically prohibitive, and ' .hat the tendency was to force small cheese factories out of business. The danger was not so great in the North Island, because of the limited number of small cheese factories. tylr Morton said that facts and figures regarding the seriousness of the position jvould be placed before the conference later, when there was presented a South Auckland remit: "That this conference emphatically protest against added costs to the industry through the restriction of hours and overtime payments, thus substantially reducing the differential payment be-, tween butter and cheese suppliers and seriously jeopardising the industry and affecting the quality of cheese.” There had been a slight fall in dairy production generally throughout New Zealand, said Mr Morton. This was largely due to the climate, as on the whole the season had been far from good. Taranaki had had a wonderful season; Manawatu and Wairarapa did not fare badly, and Waikato Was in and out. The extreme south of New Zealand, however, suffered greatly from the prolonged dry weather. Labour problems made it difficult to run farms, and this, with high costs, meant smaller herds and in some cases a complete turning over to some other branch of farming. In view of this, it was satisfactory that the decrease in the production of butter and cheese was not greater.