The Threshing Mill Dispute.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XIX, Issue 5889, 9 March 1894, Page 1

The Threshing Mill Dispute.

We have been asked to insert the following report of an interview with the millowner in the above connection : • On Monday evening Messrs M. J. Power, vice-president, and S. Boreham, agent of the Union, in accordance with instructions from the Union, paid another visit to Messrs Clark Bros.' mill at Weston for the purpose of reading the agents' report and the advertisement forbidding unionists to work at any mill where the contract system was in vogue. After reading the report and advertisement, Mr Clark was sought by the representatives with a view to ascertaining whether it was possible to prevail on his better nature by moral suasion. Mr Boreham started oil" by pointing out the abnormally low wages his (Mr Clark's) men were making, and quoted the fact that the three men who left his employ on Monday were paid off at a little under Id per hour. Mr Clark denied this and proceeded to produce his tally book. Mr Power: Produce your choque book, Mr Clark. Mr Clark : Do you doubt my word ? Mr Power : No ; but your cheque book would be conclusivp. The cheque book was not produced and Mr Boreham continued to point out the evils of the system, Mr Clark continuing to justify his position and prove the big wages his men were earning. Mr Power then said : Well, Mr Olark, if it is a fact, as your say, that the men are making such good wages, why do you not concede to the Union's request and pay them 9d an hour 1 See what you would save, if what you are saying ia true. Mr Clark made no reply. A hoarse voice that had been constantly interrupting the agents, blurted out from the inside of a bag tent: Ho can please himself. Mr Power made a bee-line for the voice, and thus addressed its owner : You have been continually interrupting us, and running down the efforts of the Union to get for you a living wage. Now were I to act before my employer as you havd done before Mr Clark, my fellowworkers would say that I had an object in doing so, and as you know the hour would better your condition, in speaking as you have done you have certainly not acted in accordance with your real feelings and good judgment. This finished the owner of the hoarse voice, and the agents were not interrupted again. During the interview with Mr Clark, Mr Boreham said : Well, Mr Clark, if you will guarantee your men 5s for every day you put the belt on, the Union will make their wages up to 6s per day. At this Mr Clark lost his temper, and the agents left him to calm down. THE MILLOWNERS' STATEMENT. Mr Clark's (the millowner's) statement of affairs is as follows. Of the three men who were paid off No. 1 worked Hi days but had tucker for four weeks, ifo was paid off with a cheque for LI 18s, which with his tucker account (L2 12s) and a few shillings deducted for a private account brought his wages to about 8s a day. No. 2 worked 13£ days for a cheque of L2 14s clear and four weeks' tucker L2 12s, equal to about 8s a day, and No. 3 got his cheque for L 3 7s for 13h days, and LI 19s deducted for three weeks' tucker, bringing his pay the same as the others. Mr Clark states that the above time was made threshing out of stook, where, on account of damp mornings, evenings, and wet weather full time is seldom made. He also states that two weeks of the time these men were in camp on tucker, a cook at L2 per week was kept on for their convenience. The rest of the men were at; their homes. Mr S. Boreham, who called the men out, made up their time without consulting Mr Clark and did so at the rate of 8s per thousand for oats and 10s per thousand for wheat, whereas if left to Mr Clark himself ho would have paid them their usual rate, viz., 8s oats, Ha wheat. Mr Boreham, in his communication to the Mail re the Is 8d per day counted in tho fortnight the mill was idle and the men away. Given fine weather the men average L2 per week clear when threshing from the stack ; working in the stook it is naturally much less.