COST OF LABOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22578, 17 November 1936, Page 12

COST OF LABOUR

COMMERCIAL GARDENS LOW PRICES FOR PRODUCE DIFFICULTIES OF GROWERS While owners of commercial gardens are not. in agreement on tho extent of a labour scarcity there seems to be a unanimity of opinion that if prices were better they would bo able to pay higher wages and attract more labour. In varying degree they claim that their operations are restricted because they cannot afford to pay wages that are demanded. It is pointed out bv a large hothouse tomato grower that prices are not good; indeed, for the first two weeks of this month, they were considerably lower than last year's rates. The market has boon allectod considerably by the arrival at Auckland of 0200 cases of Island tomatoes by the Hauraki and 10,000 cases at Wellington by the San Francisco mail steamer. The labour difficulty had certainly become intensified. As an instance, 18 months ago he advertised for two youths at £1 a week. He got 20 replies from men of a good type. Not long ago ho advertised for a youth at £1 5s a week and lie got one reply. Sauce Tomato Contracts Outdoor tomato growers are concerned, together with other vegetable growers, not only at thte rise in labour costs, but in the increase in commission charges by auctioneers. The busy tiino for outdoor tomato growers has not yet arrived, so that tho labour problem is not yet acute. For thoso under con t met to jsrow Rftuc© tonnitoes the outlook is claimed to be hopeless unless factories give some relief under the contracts..

One such grower said that from 1010 to 15)131 there was almost a standard price of £lO a ton. Then tho depression ail'octed tho market, and, moreover, much Asiatic competition developed, notably from Hindus. Ihe contract price receded to £5 10s a ton, a rate ruling under present contracts. Sauce growers maintain that if they could get 1031 prices they would'be able to give 11M1 wages, but they are only in a position to oner 10s a day. ~ • Many sauce contracts were mado this vear two months earlier than usual, and so growers arc particularly aflccted bv the riso in the labour market. 1 here i; no award in the industry, but it they have to pay los to 16s a day to cot labour, they will bo unable to fulfil their contracts. For that reason theie is a move to get relief in respect ot contracts. Strawberry Picking So far complaints of a scarcity of labour for strawberry picking do not appear to be very general. When the picking becomes heavier there should be schoolchildren available lor the work. The crop on the North Shore, which is a substantial supplier of the market, seems to be fair. There are reports of a few good crops, while others are only moderate. When frost damaged the Pukekohe potato crop, many growers planted again, with the result that there are many late yields, the replant.ngs clashjn<r with the normal late yields. Present low prices are described by a grower as impossible. "We cannot pay h.gh waces to attract much labour, said one grower. "Wo are hoping to come to an agreement in the near future for wages much on a par with those ruling on dairy farms, but with shorter hours. There Is no reason why on vegetable farms we should not be limited to a 48 hours' week."