FARMERS ANXIOUS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22628, 16 January 1937, Page 13

FARMERS ANXIOUS

SITUATION AT WORKS NECESSITY FOR ACTION ATTITUDE OF EMPLOYERS "We arc receiving scores of telephone rings from farmers and dairy companies asking what steps are being taken to get over the difficulty facing: us at our works," said Mr. A. G. Brown, general manager of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company. Limited.

"It is being pointed out to us that in many cases dairy companies are reaching the limit of their own storage capacity, and that unless something is done in the next day or so, it will simply mean that the dairy companies will have to notify farmers that they will not be able to take their cream." Mr. Brown said it was very clear that the present position could not be allowed to continue much longer. Some steps would have to be taken to ensure that farm, produce now deteriorating in trucks and ships or which factories could not hold, was put into cold storage. Anxious to Avoid Trouble

The employers were most anxious that 110 serious trouble should be precipitated, and they earnestly hoped that the Government would be able to act in such a manner that certain developments would not arise. He understood that the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, had proposed to fly from Wellington to Auckland in the endeavour to arrange some form of settlement. Bad weather had caused the flight idea to be dropped, but Mr. Armstrong would arrive by express this morning. The Minister had not been in communication with him, so that ho did not know what action it was proposed to take. Although the dairy factories were still receiving cream, most of them were acutely up against the problem of storage. He thought there was little chance of much of the dairy produce being railed to other freezing works where work was proceeding normally. Dominion Award The company's works at Moerewa in the north were still operating and accepting supplies. At Moerewa the men were under a different union from the one which embraced workers in the company's Southdown and King's Wharf works, although they worked under the same Dominion award. Auckland produced two-thirds of the butter made in New Zealand, and the freezing works outside the province dealt mostly in meat and were ill-equipped to store much dairy produce. No doubt, the company's workers, in deciding on their present tactics, took this point into consideration.

The men worked under a Dominion award, every freezing company being affected by the same conditions. It was, therefore,"obvious that if the employers affected by the present trouble met the men's demands and conceded a further 10 per cent rise in wages, the higher rate would soon apply to the other works throughout New Zealand. Ihe men had taken action in one quarter in a matter that affected the whole industry in the Dominion.

MENACE TO DAIRYING CONCERN IN WAIKATO CONSIGNMENTS FALLING OFF [from our own correspondent] HAMILTON, Friday The uncertainty as to whether the limited number of permanent men employed at the freezing works can handle the normal supply of butter and cheese made daily at the dairy factories, together with the risk of produce deteriorating if kept in railway trucks, has caused the dairy companies of the Waikato to cease sending consignments of butter and cheese to the works as from to-day.

The Railway Department's transport staff has received instructions to use extreme care in the handling of dairy produce and to ensure that it is properly stowed in insulated waggons. Inquiries made among dairy companies of the district to-day indicate that the hold-up at the freezing works is viewed with grave concern. All the companies have limited space for the storage of produce in their coolers, and unless the freezing works dispute is settled in the meantime farmers may expect to be advised on Monday that supplies of milk and cream cannot bo accepted. Referring to the position to-day, Mr. C. J. Parlane, general manager of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, which last season produced 64,318 tons of produce, and is likely to produco more this season, said the situation could only be regarded as being extremely serious. In his opinion it was necessary for tho Government to take a firm stand in seeing that the dairy industry was allowed to be carried on without undue interruptions due to labour disputes. Mr. Parlane said some people might wonder why the dairy companies did not possess ample storage accommodation for large supplies of butter at their own factories. Jt was decided many years ago that it would be better business to invest in a concern which would establish cool stores at the port of export. Most of the dairy companies in South Auckland were large shareholders in the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, Limited, which owned the freezing works at Southdown and Horotiii and the freezing chambers at King's Wharf.

The stores were therefore owned by the farmers, whose produce was held in them. Over a period of many years the system of storing dairy produce at the freezing works and cool stores had proved economical and satisfactory and ;i much better method than having a multiplicity of cool stores, as would be necessary if every dairy company had to make its own arrangements at the factories.