DAIRYING WAGES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24877, 26 April 1944, Page 6

DAIRYING WAGES

EFFECT OF ALLOWANCE WEEKLY INCREASE OF 11/8 A considerable amount of misunderstanding exists in the dairy industry over the actual wage increase involved in the recently-announced wage cost allowance of 1.21 d per lb. butter-fat. This allowance represents a weekly increase of lis 8d per labour unit over the labour unit reward at present included in the butter-fat price. The labour reward in the guaranteed price is at present 9.45 d per lb. buttertat, which on a two-labour unit farm with an output of 12,0001b. of fat is sufficient to pay a weekly labour reward of £4 5s lOd to the employee and £4 15s lOd to the owner. The allowance of 1.21 d raises these weekly rewards to those announced by the Prime Minister, namely, £4 17s 6d for the employee and £5 7s 6d for the owner. Misunderstanding has occurred because of the fact that 'the minimum weekly wage as fixed by regulation for dairy farm workers is at present £4 a week. This minimum is fixed by agreement between representatives of the workers and the Farmers' Federation, and is fixed independently of the butter-fat price. The minimum rate has always been lower than the amount allowed iti the guaranteed price—a recognition of the fact that average wages paid to farm workers have always been above the minimum. In 1938, for instance, when the labour reward for the worker included in the guaranteed price was £4, the minimum rate fixed bv regulation was £3 12s 6d. The final inclusion of 0.61 d in the butter-fat price as labour reward increased the amount allowed for the worker to £4 5s lOd, and the minimum rate was raised to £4. The present wage cost allowance increased the labour reward included in the butterfat price to £4 17s 6d for the employee, and. the minimum rate has yet to be fixed in accordance with the regulation. SERVICEMEN PARADE WELLINGTON CEREMONY (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Tuesday Rain throughout Wellington's main Anzac Day ceremony did not deter thousands from attending. Four official ceremonies were held at the Cenotaph. Tiie first was a dawn parade, which was attended by returned servicemen and a large number of citizens. The second ceremony was. a parade by the Wellington branch of the A.I.F. The third was the principal gathering, which followed a parade of servicemen. The acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. 1). 0. Sullivan. laid a wreath on behalf of the Government. The final ceremony was the playing of the Retreat by the baud and pipes and drums of the Wellington Regiment, The Minister of Defence, the Hon. F.. Jones, read the following cablegram from Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg: "To our comrades, to the Army at home, and especially to those in hospital, we send our greetings and best wishes on Anzac Day. To all who arc remembering those who have died overseas, we send our deepest sympathy. Wo. too. will remember our comrades on Anzac Day with pride in what they have done and deep regret that the war should make such sacrifices necessary before victory can he ours," £35,000 JEWELLERY THEFT Utocd. •">.;)"> p.m.) NEW YORK, Apri '2l Watched by three detectives, Fred Hanson, a 40-year-old Swede, broke into the fashionable home of Prince and Princess Serge Belosselsky-Belo/.ersk \ last night. Fifteen minutes later he was arrested as be emerged with jewellery valued at over £35.000.