THE DARK SIDE OF DAIRYING.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 68, 21 March 1906, Page 7

THE DARK SIDE OF DAIRYING.

TO THE EBITOE. Sir, — I have been following with interest your various articles on the above question, and I can fully endorse Mr. Wallis Forshaw's remarks in the fifth article so far as it concerns cheese factories. In my opinion the general public havo not the remotest idea of the hours worked and the hard labour that is done in these factories. Fancy working from 70 to 80 houTs per week. The average remuneration for these hours is about 35s per week (some factories pay 25s to 30s and in one or two cases 37s 6d per week). Out of this magnificent wage a man has to pay 12s , or 14s per week for board. The average- run of a season is about seven months, and these seven months are the best for obtaining outside work at a fair wage. So this means that the directors of the companies have had the services of us poor wretches at this miserable pay, and when we are put off through the milk supply falling away we find that there is a scarcity of work, so that we are never in a position to save anything. Now, sir, what are tha factory managers trying to do to still keep us in this miserable state? The New Zealand Dairyman of the 20th inst. Teports a meeting of the Cheese and Buttermakers' Association (an association composed chiefly of factory managers). This body has passed a resolution to try and have dairy factories exempted by legislation from the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. With this end in view they are going to get peti. tions signed by milk suppliers and others praying that tho above injustice to the factory employees shall take effect. They also intend to petition the members of Parliament in the various districts for the same purpose. I say "injustice to tho empoyees," because if the exemption takes place we havo lost our only means of trying to better the conditions under which we are working. I am sure we factory hands would take it as a great blessing if some of the Labour organisations took up our cause for us, until such time as we could form some sort of a union. At the present we really have no time to take any active measures against this proposed injustice, as we start work at 6 a.m. and finish between 5 and 6 p.m., so that after having worked these hours for seven days every week we have very little inclination for doing anything else. Trusting that some abler pen than mine will tako up tho cause of the factory employees. — I am, etc., DAIRY. February, 1906.

A telegram received by the Secretary of the General Post Office yesterday from Mr. Benda.ll, Postmaster, o poutana, says : "Large vessel apparently on fire off Mahia Peninsula, opposite Ormond's." The Marino Department telegraphed to the Colloct-or of Customs nt Napier asking him to mako enquiries, aad if he considered it necessary, send out a local vessel. A reply has been received' from tho Collector stating that he docs not think there is any necessity to send out a steamer, as it is thought that tho report wn« caused merely through a passing steamer firing up. Messrs. Sidey. Mooch and Co. advertiso a sale of furnitiiro and drapery and clothing of all deicriptiono at their rooms to-. paorroH^ C9mmen.giajc.ftt 2 J3.m, .sharp.