THE FALL IN FLAX.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 140, 7 March 1908, Page 6

THE FALL IN FLAX.

X;.,.,- 0.- , i ;.. : .Vy >' -, MILLERS DISSUSS THE SITUATION. • REDUCTION IN WAGES PROPOSED. i .. (BY . TELEGRAM—SriCCIAL COItMSrONDENT.) Palmcrston North, March 6.: A", mooting: of ■ flaxmillers and others m■J v torched in tho industry was, held at Foxton - last night for tho purpose!'of arranging for a conference between the employees and. em;v •; ployers;to discuss, the presojit standard .of. . N wages- iil connection with the reduction iu tho , price of - flax.. -Soveral speakers dwelt upon. tho. seriousness of'the present position, ivliich meant, that if the men would not moot the owners there- was 110 alternative .;:^.butrto : clpso;,dowß, : '!ind-already isoine l millers' had'.adopted, this course. . / ■ „Mr. ltoss,- of I'oxton, said that he had : .y:;been';Working- his: ciill, for about a year - and ■ . nine,months or thereabouts,-and.during that .'timey.had' put through -8888 tons .of green i v: leaf. , Ho had paid away in royalty. £3815,and: ,in' H:ages -±.6812, these figures • covering . . a penod ot vabout . Sixteen' months. ,Work- . ing-cm. those figures they would vbo ; able to I■■ . roaliso. roughly-'what- amount 'of money was ; . paid%by-.. tho.mills:..in.thoi district, and what' I ■ it would.,mean' for-Fox ton if' the money was ■. i,suddenly stopped.Mn. A. .-Seiterfcisaid- it- wfts not.a- riueshoii • of . closinsj. dowil force- men. to-rfccept. * lowor question-was ! tthotlvjr v theyi : ' / could• not meet • together- aiid arrangement whereby, the situation i rnliabt , be eased, and that would be mutually !i>neficial.' v To, talk;of: closing was rather fnohshi' . It was just a -question, between.-.nian and man: -It .prices continued to fall no doubt .- they- would have ,to close down sooner or later, ■ but ■it "would cbrtainly : be betterto: approach tho menVand;'gkce.',-?iie : • position before ithem, thusvsjiving-thorn; an oppo;- . tunity ( . of.-, expressing?'-: their opinian beiore ■ •: closing/down. - .He could assure, them-that ; when*', the -millers were: paying ,11s.. per ton royalty and only getting £22 10s.. per ton' for fibre they "were l running-at a serious loss'. Tho high prices that obtained' a- short -time, ago , did: not hold »for any length' .'of time.-' The market was: continually fluctuating diir-, - ing'-.tho• past • nine -or ten . years,.'and I , for > about sevon years out of - that period . .the -jarerage '.price'rof ;,hemp would .be only about £26: It was only for 'a few. 'Tnoriths -. ;■ lasf'year : that they' recoived; £3G for "good' .fair,".. and many of.tlio millors did not',get ' the ; benefit of these prices, , because tney ■ had entered, into, contracts, before - tho. rise' , : took place. - It. might astonish them. soiriowhat, but millers had .to-live as well as': the men, and it: was if: a •. mail had made £1000 that ho was going, to • - Bit still and lose-it-all. v ■ ,V, i Tho • meeting _ '.terminated ... without any arrangement being arrived - at, . but' millers .hero to-day; and .men also,- state that it is highly probable that while fibre remains low , gome -mutual . aEreoment 'will' he arrived at, and it will' probably bo on the basis of a sliding • scale. y;- -V..-;.- ' v...It is .understood, that-a number, of flaxmill . ■■ fi : hands-, from 'the.', different mills will meefi" at > ! A Palmerston at- an ' early'.date'. i/:C..