TEN PER CENT. CUT

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 91, 14 October 1931, Page 15

TEN PER CENT. CUT

WOOLLEN WORKERS

EXEMPTION CLAIMED

The Wellington Woollen Mills and Hosiery Factories Employees' Industrial Union applied to the Arbitration Court yesterday afternoon for exemption from the provisions of the general order reducing wages by 10 per cent. On behalf of the union, Mr. W. T. Young submitted that it would be cornpotent for the Court to distinguish between adult, and other males, between adult and other females, and between males and females. He quoted from statistical reports on the factory production of the Dominion to show that in 1927 there wer< 12 woollen mills and 19 hosiery factories employing 1002 males and 1759 females; in 1930 there were 12 woollen mills and 24 hosiery factories employing 1003 males and 1954 females. That was strong evidence, he claimed, that the business of the woollen mills industry had been well maintained, while that of the hosiery factories had been substantially increased since the award was made in 1926. Mr. Young referred at length to the comparative values of land buildings, machinery, and plant during the past four years, and went on to deal with the cost of materials, added value, and the value of products. He maintained that the wage reduction should not apply to the woollen workers as the industry had expended £472,486 on materials and obtained an added value of £612,793 in one year. Mr. Young said official figures disclosed that the balance 9£ products value in the case of woollen mills during the past four years was £262,749 after deducting the cost of materials, wages, salaries, and other expenses.' The corresponding balance in the case of hosiery factories was £145,399. Those figures showed, it was claimed, that the workers of the two industries should not be required to bear the burden of a wage reduction. The total annual loss in wages only consequent upon the operation of the general order was £25,904 for 2150 workers. Between August, 1914, and September, 1921, workers in woollen mills and hosiery factories were placed at a great disadvantage in wages in relation to the increase in the cost of uv ing. In conclusion, Mr. Young submitted that the case made out, which was based on official figures, did not in any sense warrant a reduction in the wages of the workers. He considered that the prospects of the depression lifting were encouraging, and that it was competent for the court to grant exemption in the case of any industry which was shown to be in a sound position. EMPLOYEES' CASE.

Mr. W. J. Mountjpy, representing the employers, urged that the union had not shown any special grounds to justify the granting of the application, ut was suggested that the union should, if not satisfied with the award rates ot pay make demands for a new award, the term of the old one having expired in August, 1929, since when the union had apparently been content to carry on under the same conditions. The inference was that the union would be quite satisfied to continue as before, if it was granted exemption from the general order. As, however, all classes of workers had suffered a wage reduction it was submitted that it would be unfair for woollen mill workers to be excluded from the order, while other sections pf. skilled and unskilled workers were1 ilibject to it. At the same time it was not suggested that any section of the community should suffer losses unnecessarily. A statement prepared by Mr. A. S. Cookson, secretary of the New Zealand Woollen Mill Owner*' Association, was read by M>. Monntjoy, in which it was suggested that the grounds upon which the application was made were more applicable to a claim for a new award than for exemption from the wage reduction order. None of the grounds stated gave any indication that the reduction of wages pressed more heavily upon woollen mill workers than upon the workers in any other manufacturing industry. It did not appear that the position stated to have existed in 1921 could have any bearing on the application. The increase in the wages of woollen mill workers was very greatly in excess of the increase in the cost of living, and it was apparent from returns and official figures that the position of the woollen mill workers at present as compared with 1914 was relatively more favourable than, that of workers in other industries. The Court reserved its decision.