WOOL SCOURING

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 25, 29 July 1936, Page 4

WOOL SCOURING

44 HOURS ASKED

An application for a 44-hour week in the wool scouring industry on the grounds that the work was of a seasonal nature was heard by the Arbitration Court today. It was stated that there were approximately 300 workers engaged in the industry, and an increase in costs would eliminate scouring for export because of overseas competition. '

Mr. D. I. Macdonald, secretary of the Canterbury Employers' Association, appeared for the applicants, and Mr. J. Kilpatrick opposed an extension on behalf of the workers.

Mr. Macdonald said there were four awards governing the industry and they all provided for a 48-hour week. The industry was a seasonal one and was closely related to an important primary industry. It was in reality a processing industry to enable wool to be exported after cleaning instead of in the grease. The industry was an unprotected one. The extension of hours was required for both scourers and wool sorters, because where natural drying was used every hour of sunlight was needed, and the sorters could not work by artificial light. More sorters could not be employed, because they were not available.

Only one or two companies dried the wool by artificial means, because the cost of a drying plant was beyond the means of the smaller firms, consequently the industry was largely dependent on the fine summer months for working the wool. It was also necessary to work long hours in the summer months to have the wool ready for shipment so that it could reach overseas sales. Labour costs were high and it was not possible to speed up the output.

The Government was being asked to include the industry under the second schedule of the Factories Act, and in the meantime the employers asked the Court to give the utmost relief possible by granting the right to work a 44-hour week.

The conditions existing in the industry, as outlined by Mr. Macdonald, were detailed in evidence by Mr. A. V. A. Nicholls, managing director of the Kaputone Wool Scouring Company, Belfast, Canterbury.

(Proceeding.)