THRESHING MILL WAGES.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 33, Issue 9331, 22 August 1902, Page 3

THRESHING MILL WAGES.

A meeting of farmers ,to ctihside# the demands of the Workers' tJnion on tbreshins mill owners, as to restriction of time, pnymdrit of mill hands per hour instead of per hiishel, etc., was held in Waimate on Saturday last. There was a.large attendance. The chairman safi}-' inter aliaT,hat th< meeting i<ras couvened to give the farmers an oppoitu.ni.t-y to consider and discuss the proposal of tHe W.ifkgrs' tJriion to demand from the threshing riiill owners terms quite different from tho'se now iu existence, and that the ArbitratioH fcoiirt be called on to fix the wages of mill wdrkijts at IS 3d per hour while wdrking. and ii certain rdtg while shifting, etc. The mill owners, Whbri their machines are engaged working for farmers, will have to charge the iDefeased cost of threshing caused bjr tlio granting b£ these deiiiaiids da the farmers dn whofie grain operations afe being carried out, and from his (the chairman's) calculations this woitld mpan at tlie very least oti6 penhy per biishel ihcrfease df cost, or oil a fciir ciop' 3s 4d per acre on grain prdduciiig land. The farttieb hadfn'b standing as a Uhibn ttj rbfett tbe case in the Arbitration CSurt. and it was for them to consider whiither they ougllt to join with the threshing.mill dwiicrs in resisting a claim which would, if ordered by the Court, be the means of imposing a heavy tax on farmers;

Mr S. Borebam, secretary to the Waimate Worker's Union, was asked to explain the demand of the union, which he did at length. Mr Ward sdid no dbubt the increased demand of wages woilld haVe to be paid by the farmers if the Court made the order that the mill-owneis comply with the Workers' Union demand. Farmers cannot raise the price of their produce, as people in trade and manufacture can dtj, but must sell in the world's markets. He moved that the farmers stand by the mill-dwners in resisting the demand of the Workers' Union in the Arbitration Court.—The motion was ultimately carried after discussion. It was resolved that a voluntary levy of Is be contributed by the farmers of the district to assist the the threshing niill-owners in opposing the demand of the Workers' Union in the Arbitratipn Court. A large number paid, the contribution, and . the" meeting ' closed with thanks to the chairman;