DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 59, 3 December 1926, Page 14

DAIRY FACTORY WORKERS

Sir—ln yesterday’s Dominion I notice where the dairy farmers of Apiti have become a little upset over the men engaged in their cheese and butter factories deciding to form a union and apply to the Arbitration Court for flp award. They, the farmers, think it s high time unions were done away with. By that I take it that the Apiti farmers are anti-control, board. anti-Dairy Farmers’ Union, anti-A. and P. Association,. and a whole host if other antis, or is it only the workers who are to be barred from acting in a co-operative manner? Do they insinuate that the Judge of the Arbitration Court favours the workers? The freezing workers do not think so, anyway; nor a good many others as well. Why all the fuss? We are not out to rtiin the farmers. Have wo not for the past 30 years or more made their cheese and butter under conditions that were on the border lino of slavery? ' Do they, the Apiti farmers, think that ICd. an hour is an honest reward for working in a steaming hot atmosphere with the sweat pouring off a man’s body in streams? I knew one young man personally who for nine days’ work in a dairy factory lost 91b. in weight and by the end of the season his health was ruined. This is not an isolated case. There are hundreds more.

Many men who were able to stand up to ‘ the work have left the industry stmply because the pay was rot enough to keep body and soul together. Every year there is a fresh lot of workers come into the factories. They have to be shown how to do tho work, and this throws an enormous amohnt of work on the men who have learned the job and are keen to get on. _ Dairy factory work is not like building a house or ploughing a paddock. Tho work must bo done every day. You can’t leave any over until the next day. no matter' what goes wrong, nnd so, if there happens, and it very often happens nowadays, to be four or five learners on tho job nnd only two experienced men, these two meh have to do double the work they would have to do otherwise—a system of working that is neither good for the men nor the goods they, are turning out. Every year the markets are demanding improvements in manufacturing and packing our produce. To do this requires more labour, and ns the number of assistants has never been increased it follows that tho men have to hear the brunt of tho extra work involved. Have not the organised workers of this country done their best for the dairy farmer? Have their papers not championed their cause against tho high price of land, speculators and combines who take tlie bread from their children? Are they now going to turn round and kick their own employees in the face and keep them ground down on tho starvation level ? One other item I wish to make public. Damo Rumour has it that the men in tho Bush District have been compelled to sign a statement to the effect that they nre quite satisfied with lOd. an hour It’s hieh time tho law made it a criminal offence for an employer to force his employees to sien statements that his whole mind revolts against. T trust the Judge will strongly condemn their action in doing such a miserable trick. My advice to the men is to refuse to sign point blank I trust, however, that Dame Rumour has lied once again. Trusting you will publish this. Sir.—l am. etc.,' TRY”. TRY. TRY AGAIN. Martin borough. December 1. 1926.