EMPLOYERS' CASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22627, 15 January 1937, Page 10

EMPLOYERS' CASE

PRODUCE IN STORE VALUE ABOUT £1,750,000 OWNERS NOW LOSE CONTROL " The employers have no reason to feel guilty in any way for the development of the present situation. The men have 110 grievance against us, but are objecting to an award of the Court of Arbitration, their objection actually embodying rates in respect of piecework which conform to those in their original demands for r,n award and which were agreed to in concilialion. In taking their present action, they are causing grievous loss to the community, which will suffer in many directions. But the chief loss will fall upon the general body of farmers in Auckland who are absolutely innocent of any share in (he dispute."

These remarks were made by Mr. A. (i. Blown, general manager of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, Limited, which is 1 Ik; owner of Hie King's Wharf works, (he Southdown Works and tbo Horotiu Works. Mr. Brown pointed out that tho company was 'not a proprietary concern. It handled the whole of the dairy produce for the Auckland province, all the dairy companies without exception being shareholders. 11 was primarily a farmers' concern run by farmers for farmers. Prospective Losses The value of the make of butter and cheese in the province approximated £'.'<so,ooo a week. The extent of prospective losses to the farming community could therefore bo appreciated, for unless the works resumed within a few days, milk and cream would have to be thrown away on the farms, or fed to pigs. The company also handled stock, but butter was more important in the present instance than meat; milk could not be hold on the farm, but stock could bo held.

Anything up to £IOO,OOO worth of butter and chepse was on the way to the works, stored in trucks, or held by coastal steamers which bad no refrigerated space. If this produce could not be got into cool store, there woidd be rapid deterioration, fortunately yesterday was a cool day, but if to-dav were hot or muggy, great loss would result, though admittedly ihe produce that was held in insulated railway waggons would be slower in deterioration. Illegal Occupation

" At King's Wharf wo have 400,000 boxes of butter, worth just over £3 a box, and 40,000 crates of cheese-, worth about £5 a crate, so that the value of tho dairv produce there is £1,400,000. At Horotiu the value oj the dairy produce in store is about £312,000, and there is £30,000 worth of meat. Stock at Southdown is also valued at about £30,000, so that at our works there is roughly speaking a million and three-quarter pounds' worth of meat and 3airv produce. "Strictly speaking' all this is out of our control, now that the men are in illegal occupation of our property. 1 do not suggest that any of the men would be so ill-advised as to do anything to injure stock, but the figures I. have quoted do help to emphasise the important extent by which our legal and moral rights are being disregarded." Mr. Brown said that the average dairy factory had a storage capacity for a three or four days' make. But some had several days' supplies in hand when the trouble at the works developed. One factory close to the city had to send in its supplies each day. It was therefore obvious how perilous the situation was to the farmer. Unless cool storage could be obtained for dairy produce manufacture would have to cease. Rates For Piecework Discussing the men's grievances against the award, Mr. Brown said that Mr. W. E. Sill, secretary of tho Auckland Freezing Workers' Union, had made a fuss about the rates for piecework and yet in tho award the union got exactly what it asked for. Its demands in the award proceedings were for a 40-hour week, and on the 40-hour basis it asked for certain rates for piecework. These rates were agreed to in tho Conciliation Council proceedings by the employers and they were embodied in the award, but tho hours were fixed at 44. Mr. Sill now wanted a 40-hour week, with an adjustment of the rates, so that in respect of piecework ho was really asking for a 10 per cent increase above the demands that were made before tho Court. Mr. Brown explained that the hourly rate was not agreed to in conciliation proceedings, but the award provided that until a man on the slaughtering chain could earn the equivalent of 3s an hour or more on piecework, he was entitled to be paid at the rate of 3s an hour.

"In all the circumstances it is a great pity that the union did not take a secret ballot before adopting its present action," added Mr. Brown. "If such a ballot had been taken the result might have been very different. I know men in the union who aro against the action that has been taken."

WESTFIELD INTERLUDE POSITION OF DELEGATES The cheeriness which has characterised the conduct of the employees at | the Westfield freezing works during the stav-iu campaign was abruptly changed to an atmosphere of tension shortly after six o'clock last evening when it was mistakenly stated that three of the men's delegates had been threatened with arrest if they persisted in remaining on the premises. After the dispersal of a meeting of the men to consider their attitude toward the message from the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, the three delegates were summoned to the works oflire by the management On returning to the yard one of the delegates announced that they had been threatened with arrest for trespass unless they loft the works within 10 minutes.

"Let, there be no demonstration against this action." said one of the delegates. "We are prepared In go quietly under arrest if you will carry 011 the fight." I'Vllow employees collected the personal effects of the three delegates while others hade them farewell. Two police constables were standing by in tin' yard and, when no approach was made- by them, several of the men wanted to know what they were going to do about it. The constables smilingly replied that they were taking no action The tension eased when an oflicial of the company said the delegates had misconstrued the position. "There wan no suggestion of arresting anyone," he said.

The men returned to hold a further meeting.