LATER MILK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23809, 9 November 1940, Page 10

LATER MILK

AUCKLAND DELIVERIES INSISTENCE BY UNION THE COUNCIL'S VIEWS CRITICISM OF MINISTER Milk deliveries in the « Auckland metropolitan area on and after Monday will be half an hour later than previously, as a result of a recent decision by the Auckland Milk Houndsmen's Union that roundsmen shall not start work before 3 a.m., in conformity with the new award. The situation was discussed in committee at length yesterday morning by the Metropolitan Milk Council and Mr. C. L. Hunter, liaison officer to the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb. Subsequently, the' chairman of the council, Mr. 1., J. Goldstine, made a full statement, which the council endorsed, placing the whole responsibility on the shoulders of the' Minister, who, ho said, alone had statutory power" to remedy the difficulty, but who had made no reply to the council's representations.

Vendors Accept Situation

A conference was held last night by representatives of the milk vendors and the union in the presence of Mr. Hunter, who stated subsequently that the vendors had decided to try the system of starting at 3 a.m., instead of at 2.30 a.m., and to ask the Milk Council to extend the time-limit of 8.30 a.m., at which deliveries are now required to cease. A representative of the vendors said that the latter had not entered into any agreement with the union, but had merely accepted the situation. Jn face of the Minister's attitude, they had no option. , In the course of his statement yesterday morning, Mr. Goldstine said the difficulty had arisen entirely from the institution of zoning, which the council had effected at the request of the Government, through the Commissioner of Transport, in order to conserve petrol I as a war measure. It was therefore the Government's duty to assist the council in finding a way out. Attitude of the Union It had been quite clear that trouble would occur under zoning, unless arrangements could be made for roundsmen to start earlier than the normal hour of 2.30 a.m., Mr. Goldstine continued. However, the secretary of their union, Mr. J. Purtell, had done his utmost to prevent any change. In fact, it must be said that he had used every endeavour to interfere with the zoning project. The difficulty, Mr. Goldstine said, was that customers at the end of some rounds had to accept late deliveries, and this caused serious inconvenience to early workers, including railwaymen, who were obliged to use the previous day's milk for breakfast. This was not a serious matter in winter, but in the heat of summer, milk definitely would not keep so long, unless the household had a refrigerator, which many people could not afford. The problem, therefore, was intimately bound up with the health of the people. Day Deliveries In Winter

In the Milk Council's view, the only remedy was earlier deliveries in summer, starting at 1 a.m., and, in compensation for this, it had proposed that daylight delivery should be instituted for the four winter months. This proposal was explained to the authorities in Wellington by the council's zoning officer. Mr. A. Blake, and on September 18 a letter was addressed to the Minister, stating the whole position and asking his help. The letter mentioned that, as a measure of partial relief, the council was willing to consider instituting "front gate" delivery. A merely formal reply was received a week later from the Hon. D. G. McMillan,. on behalf of Mr. Webb, continued Mr. Goldstine. Later, a Labour Department official made investigations, but nothing further was heard until last .Wednesday, after the commencement of the new roundsmen's award, when union announced in the press that on and after next Monday the men would not start earlier than 3 a.m. Council Not to Blame

Previous to this, a group of employers had been informed by the Arbitration Court that the starting time was governed solely by the Shops and Offices Act. On writing to Mr. Webb in October, and asking that a 1 a.m. start bo authorised under that Act, they received a reply from the Hon. F. Jones on his behalf, in which it was stated, quite erroneously, that the matter was one for the Court.

The union's action, concluded Mr Goldstine, looked like an attempt to upset the whole zoning scheme. Was the Government willing to tolerate this sort of thing? "We want the public to know on whom the responsibility lies," he added. "The Minister isS responsible, and lie should act without delay. If he does not, the public should not blame the Milk Council."

the motion of Mr. C. J. Lovegrove, the council approved the chairman's statement.

The Legal Position

It was explained yesterday that, although an amendment to tho last award had purported to fix the starting time of roundsmen at 2.30 a.m., the matter was really determined by a section iji the Shops and Offices Act, 1921-22, which forbade the delivery of milk before 3 a.m.' The "new Auckland award' provided that the. starting time should bo determined under the Act. | Tho Shops and Offices Amendment Act, 1936,.contained, a .provision that any person employed in delivering milk might perform such work before 3 a.m., "in accordance with conditions approved by the Minister of Labour." Another, section laid down that all awards •wire subject to tho provisions of tho Act.