THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9162, Issue 9162, 11 March 1910, Page 6

THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

APPLICATION FOR A NEW AWARD. SLIDING SCALi" SUGGESTED. The Arbitration Court, his Honor Mr Justice Sim presiding, continued its sitting Yesterday afternoon on the hearing of the application for a new award by the Union and the counter-claim for a reduced scale of wages by the Flaxmillers' Association. Tho remainder of the Union's evidence was called. James Silver, stripper-keeper, gave e\idcnco as to the extra time taken to keep the stripper in order. John Danderson, fibre carter, said ho carted in a ten-hour day about twelve tons of green fibre, and about 28cwt ot drv He' usually drove two horses, it took a good while to get into carting fibre: some men could never learn to do it. Some of tho country was very Ve'rcv Robertson, recalled, said he served* the subpoena on Win. Ross at his office at Foxton. His Honor wanted to know if witness had offered him his expenses. . Witness said he had not, as the Union had treated him as a friendly witness. His Honor: You should never treat an employer as a friendly witness B> not giving him his expenses you naAC made it impossible to compel him .to "ome before the Court., and given bun im opportunity of getting out of the

THE CASE FOR THE MILLERS. Air Prvor. in opening his case, said that the employers had filed a reference Jo rrct the award annulled and snicc then, at several conferences, the speaker had pointed out that it would be necossarv to prepare for another award. The miUers found it absolutely • essontia that, the wages should be reduced in or to carry on. Mr Pryor then put in tho following counter-claim with a scale of reduced wages: — Hours of Labour.-l. (a) Except where otherwise expressly prescribed,, the week * , work shall not exceed forty-eight hours, exclusive of tho time neccssanly occupied by any worker coming under the ovisions of this award in getting up J iteam for the machinery in the mill oi , work in which ho shall bo employed and j exclusive in the case of a driver of the time required for necessary attendance to horses, (b) Not more than ten hours will be worked in any one day without pavment of overtime, (c) The provisions of" this clauso shall not _ apply to the work of cooks or their assistants. Overtime.—2. (a) Any time worked in excess of ton hours in any one day, or in excess of forty-eight hours in any one , week shall be paid for at the rate. ot j time and a quarter, (b) When overtime work is rendered necessary by reason of breakdown of the machinery causing the stoppage of work, or by other special emergency involving damage to only ordinary rates shall be paid. Holidays—3. For work done on Now Year's Day. Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Sundays double time shall be paid. Provided that, with respect to paddockere and fibre-carters, the rate shall be for the first four hours time and a quarter, and thereafter time and a half. Drivers shall not bo entitled to be paid for attendance to horses on Sundays or holidays. Wages and Rates of Pay.—4. Tho following shall be tho minimum rates of pay for the several classes of worli: — (a)' Feeders Is per hour, bench loaders lOgd. catchers 10d, washers (finding their own boots and aprons) 10£<i, head paddockers Is. assistant paddockers lOgd, sorters 10kl, shakers 10d, hankers 10d, vegetation man 10d, rouseabouts 10d, labour not otherwise specified 10jj>d. (b) Privers for driving and attending to one horse £2 2e per week, for driving and attending to two horses £2 6s per week. No deduction shall be made from this weekly wage for bad weather, or for holidays, or for other cause than for time lost through the worker's default, and this wage shall include attendance to horses on Sundays, week daye and holidays, (c) The worker, who shall act as stripper-keeper, shall receive not less than 2s 6d per day in addition to the wages paid to him in his prinicpal capacity, whether as feeder, engine-driver or manager, (d) The minimum rates for piece-work paddocking (which means and includes all work from taking the fibre off the poles and stacking same in the scutching shed shall bo: —Form Ist April to 30th Semptember (inclusive) 22s 6d per ton, from Ist October to 31st March (inclusive) £1 per ton. When carting is done 5s per ton shall be added to the foregoing rates, (e) The minimum rate of pay for scutching shall bo 20s per ton. Scales shall be provided by the employer, (f) Same as present award, (g) Same as present award. Employment of Youths. —5. Same as present award. Payment of Wages.—6. Same as present award, with proviso for three days' pay to be kept in hand. . Board for Workers. —7. Same as present award, but at the rate of not more than 16s per week. Provisions as to Smoking.—B. (a) Same as present award, with a proviso that workers shall not during working hours have in their possession or about their persons other than wooden safety matches, (b) Same as present award. Under-rate Workers.—9. Same ae present award, except that applications shall be made to the Inspector of Factories instead of Stipendiary Magistrate. Preference. —10. Objected to. Substitute non-discrimination clauso. General. —11. Same as present award, with tho after the word "regards" in the first line of the words "milling which shall mean all or any part of the work done from the time the green flax enters the yard until it is stacked on the poles. 12.—Same as present award. 13. —Same as present award. 14. —Same as present award. 15. —If scutchers are required to keep the tow holo clear of tow they shall be paid Is per ton extra. 16. —Same as present award. 17. —Same as present award.

Exemptions.—lß. (a) and (b) Same as present award. Legislation affecting Awards.—l 9. If during the currency of this award any legislation is passed which alters, restricts or extends the application of any of the provisions hereof, tho Court reserves to itself the right, on the application of any party, to make an order suspending the operation of the whole or any part of this award. New Machinery.—2o. In tho event of new machinery being introduced into any flaxmill or new processes of manufacture being adopted which alter the nature or amount of work neceesary in connection with any operation in the manufacture of hemp, the rates of pay for such work shall be arranged by mutual agreement between tho employers and workers concerned. Failing such arrangement the matter shall be referred to. the Court of Arbitration for settlement.

Term of Award. —21. Three years. Mr Dalhousie objected to the counter claim.

His Honor said that, of course, the employers would be in the same position as any other applicant for an award. The onus would be on them to prove their case.

Mr Pryor said he quite recognised that.

His Honor said he was asked to treat the existing award as so much waste paper. Parties seemed to be in the habit of doing this. His Honor pointed out that the last award was based practically on the employers' demands. Mr Pryor said that was so, and he pointed out that there had been so many changes since that it was necessary to ask for reductions. The millers were absolutely unable to carry on under present conditions. The position was very serious, and if it were not so the millers would not be before the Court to-day. Coloured labour in the Philippines had to be competed against. It was absolutely essential that there should bo continuity of supply to those who used New Zealand hemp, otherwise their machinery would go out of use. Arthur Emerson Mabin, manager hemp department of Levin and Co.'s,

Wellington, said he had had 22 years' experience in the business. In 1907 "good fair" grade averaged £30; 1908, £22 15s; 1909, £21 19s. In 1909 the proportion of "good fair" was about 48 per cent. The average price for "fair" and "good fair" in 1907 was £28 10s, and 1909 £21. That drop meant a loss of £1400 a year to the smallest mills. Witness did not think thero was any hope of any increase in prices in hemp. Cable advice was received last week, pointing to a further reduction. It would be suicidal to speculate* on further increase in prices. Tho year 1907 was the end of a period of very inflated values, which were tho highest prices over known. New Zealand binder twine was very popular with tho consumers, but owing to inability to compete with Manila in price and the difficulty of getting steady supplies, numbers of consumers were dropping the New Zealand article. His firm had had very serious difficulty in getting steady supplies since 1907. The supply had fallen from 30,000 to 17,000 tons. The reason given by the millers was that they could N not make two ends meet. His firm did a lot of financing of millers, and about a year ago the position became so acute with millers going to the bad that his firm had been seriously considering closing down on them. The position was still very serious. The I reason why there had been a greater drop in flax production in Southland than in Wellington was that the flax had been cut out in Southland.

Louis Scifert, manager of the Miranui mill, the largest in the Dominion, said tho mill commenced operations jusfc after the 1907 award. The balancesheets produced were for the years 1908 and 1909, and were for the confidential information of the Court. Witness had had thorough experience as a miller from start to finish, nnd he estimated that it cost £22 10s a ton to produce. Under the employers' proposals it would cost £20 6s 2d to produce, or £1 16s lid lower than the present award. To His Honor: He allowed 9s for royalty, as he considered a man could not possibly grow flax at that prico. He paid no royalty himself, but the cost* of upkeep of the swamp and tho interest amounted to much more.

To Mr Pryor: Ho had recently been informed that if the supply of fibre was not kept up steadily phormium would lose its hold on the market. Witness stated that the reason why the millers asked for a change in the hours was that it would give more flexibility to the award. The flax came to the mills in uneven quantities, and it was necessary on some days to work longer than others. Ho did not believe that a "hanker" got wetter while working with a new washing machine than under the old system. He did not think the work was as hard under the new method. Piece-work paddockere could earn 10s a day under the employers' proposals. As to the bands for scutchers he reckoned a shilling extra would be a fair thing. Peter L. Sim, secretary of the Koputaroa Fibre Company, produced company's balance-sheet for the past two years, which showed a loss in 1908 of £288 Is 3d, and of £202 6s 2d in 1909.

To Mr Dalhousie: The property was bought at the top of the market. Charles Clinton Higginson, miller, Koputaroa, said he was at one time a member of the firm of Page and Co., Linton. Ho produced the firm's balance sheet for 1908, which showed a loss of £491 17s Id, and tho mill was then closed. When the partnership was dissolved it was found that the firm had lost 50 per cent, of its capital. Reginald Davis, accountant, put in the confidential balance-sheet of. Mr H. Jarvis's mill at Rongotea. Reginald Bell, president of the Flaxmillers' Association, said that his mill was about eight miles out of Bulls, and his employees would sooner work on isolated holidays and have a week at Christinas. Ho also put in a confidential balance-sheet showing the position of his mill for 1909. Royalty on flax at present worked out at about 6s per ton. E. L. Broad, flaxmiller, part owner of three different mills, put in the balance-sheets of his firm for 1908 and 1909. He had worked his mills under contract, and found it very satisfactory. In May, June, and July he let a contract for stripping. The feeder earned £41 5s 3d. Under tho award he would have earned £44 13s 9d. The catcher and bench-loader each earned £36 14s 6d as against £38 10s 7d. and the washer £36 14s 6d as against £35 14s. In the second contract tho feeder earned £39 15s as against £35 7s 2d; tho catcher and benchloader earner £28 14s 5d as against £30 13s 3d;' and the washer £28 14s 5d as against £28 5s 4d. During the period of the second contract the cost of scutching per ton was £1 18s as against £2 16s Id under tho awn.rd rate in an adjoining mill. As to board and lodging it did not pay at 14s. To Mr Dalhousie: He was not now working under contract, i because his lease had run out, and it would not be fair to ask tho men to work under contract with no tenure.

Joseph Liggins, flaxmiller, also put in a confidential balance-sheet. He lost £4000 in one year from fires, and £700 another year. No company wtmld take risks on flax mills.

Robt. Gardner said his mill was not running at present. He also put in a confidential balance-sheet. William Norman, manager of the mill at Koputaroa, said the contract system was in operation in his mill, and the men were thoroughly satisfied. They worked 58 hours per week, and earned the same as under award rate. Tho men were not working unduly hard, and the difference to the firm was just the difference between profit and loss. To Mr Dalhousio : The quality of the work under contract was just as good. The men might do as much under the award rate if they were driven to it.

Edward Phillip 'Levin, flaxmiller, put in a confidential balance-sheet for his mill for 1909.

John Francis Wall, flaxmiller, Martinborough. said he had been milling in the Wairarapa since 1905. "Up till tho time the award came into force in 1907 he had run the mill profitably. In November, 1907, he closed down when the price of hemp was £24, as he considered the margin of profit too small. All the nine mills closed down that year. After consultation, Ilia 'Honor announced that the Court thought it desirable that the parties should decide on a sliding scale of wages, and recommended a conference between the partics. Meanwhile tho making of an

award would be postponed. Both Mr Pryor and Mr Dalhousie announced their willingness to arrange a conference, and the Court adjourned.