MILL HANDS CEASE WORK.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 734, 5 February 1910, Page 5

MILL HANDS CEASE WORK.

BASIS.,: .';'(Bt; Teleeraiih.-jPro!S'-'Association.* '■'.' '■"'''■ -;:-:V V; '■ C'v:Ashburtbn,V:rebrnary':i. ' : .The ''Guardian" states, that,for/some; 'time, past,';;general' hands' -employed*' on ;tbreshing mills-:,throughout" Ashburton '.County, ■ have • been dissatisfied.. with ■ their pay,'-.which is .computed on a quantity ,basis: Things are 6aid.to.be very :unsatisfactory from: their point of view this year as,r; owing;: to -lightness, of the'grain', and-, tie quantity.',of straw, in .the sheaf, the work of aggregating the bushels is a task i nearly .double that of a year'such as last The men hold that this should be recognised,and'that:they should be paid at so much per hour, rather than at so much per'bushelrasat .present ~-^; V ''-: - The. broken weather experienced during i the.. past ■ few weeks, brought the matter to.aliead,' and, as a specific result'of a specially, unremunerative ■: day's work yesterdayythe hands on the mill working in the Wakanui district' this morning: made representations •to the owner.' The. latter immediately saw the:farmer,whose grain is-being .dealt ..'with, and asked . if " he 'would;, be agreeable' to ; being on time instead of oh a quantity basis. On the: farmer declining to take .-a step which would have 'such an important 'bearing.on the interests both of the county; and; the Dominion grain growers, ■the men at once'.stopped work, and' the .mill:was left idle. •' .

It-is•understood, that the mill hands throughout.the county, are fairlyi united regard ,-to' the broad principle of the. question at issue, and that.they consider .that they should be paid Is. 3d. . per hour and' find.themselves.'/ Developments are .anticipated. ;:•-.'• .; : v".:/ ; ';:':':