SUPPLY OF TOWN MILK

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25245, 25 July 1947, Page 8

SUPPLY OF TOWN MILK

CLAIM FOR “DRUDGERY MONEY” DEPUTATION TO WAIT ON MINISTERS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 24. Steps taken to secure from the Government an increase in what was described as “drudgery money” in the labour reward to town milk supply farmers were outlined to the Town Milk Producers’ Federation of New Zealand at its conference, by the federation’s solicitor (Mr D. R. Hoggard) He quoted from two letters sent to the Minister of Agriculture (Mr E. L Cullen) setting out claims for an increased labour reward for the owner and . increased allowances for farm workers, casual labour, and holidays The first letter to the Minister stated that the Town Milk Commission of 1943 allowed increased rewards under the two headings, of £1 5s 6d and 15s a week respectively It was claimed that these should be increased. Since 1943, stated the letter, wages had been increased and the purchasing power of money had diminished So that the town milk producer should be adequately compensated for the extra “drudgery” associated with his calling, the £1 5s fid allowed as additional labour reward to the owner and 15s allowed for hired labour, should be increased proportionately to the increase given to the owner and hired worker on seasonal farms.

The failure to allow proportionate increases in “drudgery money” was a grievance independent of any question of costs, continued the letter, and should therefore be redressed without waiting for results of any costs survey Suggested increases As £1 5s 6d was fixed at a time when the owners’ labour reward on seasonal farms was £4 14s 6d, and for the current year the owners’ labour reward had been increased to £6. it was considered “drudgery money” to the owner should be increased from £1 5s 6d to £1 12s sd. and as the farm worker’s allowance on seasonal farms had been increased from £2 17s fid to £4 10s, it was considered the 15s should be increased to £1 3s 6d. It was submitted that “drudgery money” allowed to the town milk producer was analogous to dirt money and danger money awarded to industrial workers, and that it should vary in proportion to wage rates. The federation’s second letter to the Minister referred to the unavoidable delay in producing a costs survey of the industry, but submitted the Government ought to redress grievances to a safe extent, without waiting for the results of the delayed costs survey. It should be apparent from periodical shortages of milk that there was something lacking in the inducement to nroduce out-of-season milk.

The Minister’s letter in reply stated that negotiations could not be completed until a cost survey nad been made. The conference decided that a deoutation from the federation should wait on the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser) and the Minister of Agriculture, to-morrow.