DAIRY WORKERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23353, 19 November 1937, Page 7

DAIRY WORKERS

NEW AWARD SOUGHT DEMANDS ASSESSED AT £1,000,000 EMPLOYERS CLAIM INABILITY TO PAY (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, Nov. 18. Further evidence was called to-day by Mr W. E. Anderson, secretary of the Employers’ Association, in connection with the dairy workers’ application for a Dominion award. Forbes Herbert Anderson, director of the Cambridge Dairy Factory, and chairman of the Auckland Dairy Employers’ Association, said the demands of the union were assessed at approximately £1,000,000. At present the employing farmer had allotted to him under the guaranteed price an average income of £4 a week, plus a free house. That was not a guaranteed income, but could be attained only under favourable conditions, working long hours. Compared with the present position of the first assistant in a factory with a wage of £5 3s 6d, the dairy farmer was not so favourably situated. The dairy farmers reward under the guaranteed prices was what remained after meeting maintenance and interest charges on his farm, and any increase m costs, whether wages or not, had got to come out of that reward. A Comparison Drawn “We submit that the dairy industry is unable to meet the increased demands,” said the witness, “ and cannot see why it should have to, considering the Government has collaborated in fixing the wages of farm employees for this season at £2 ss, plus 17s 6d, making £3 2s 6d a week for employees quite as capable as the general hands in dairy factories.” “ I am not going ,o take any notice of this guaranteed price or the negotiations between the farmer and the Government,” said Mr J. Roberts (for the employees), on rising to crossexamine. After lengthy questions about costs,. Mr Roberts asked whether the wages paid to factory hands over the year were less than the basic wage. “1 suppose they are.” replied the witness. William Yates Kirkman, factory superintendent of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Hamilton, produced figures showing the increase in wages costs as a percentage and in money in the various departments. Should the union’s claims be acceded to the increases were: Butter, 102.25 per cent., or £113,502; cheese 176.25 per cent., or £66,169; milk powder, 95.3 per cent., or £19,073; condensed milk, 105.1 per cent., or £6590 (one factory); casein for drying station, 88.94 per cent., or £10,811; casein creameries, £14,912, Witness added that the increase in the wages bill for the Dominion in butter and cheese factories, compared with the 1935-36 season, would be £1.081.746. “ Precarious Position.” Herbert Edward Pacey, managing director of Glaxo Laboratories (N.Z.), Ltd., and chairman of directors of the New Zealand Casein Company, Ltd., expressed the opinion that the court should consider the precarious position of the case’n industry. The returns to producers from this source had in the past varied to an abnormal extent. “The Increased costs of manufacturing, the larger differential allowed in favour of cheese over butter and the collapse of the Japanese market will deplete the returns to an extent which will seriously menace the casein industry,” witness added. He said that the .German market had also declined ■ o a marked degree. "There are in New Zealand to-day 35 casein-precipi-tating s+itions” witness continued. “I say wirh a full sense of responsibility that if the present demands are acceded to many of these will cease casein precipitation. Indeed, even on to-day’s wages and costs some of these factories win be confronted with difficulty. Witness said that the present system of classification worked admirably. It had been in operation for many years and he saw no reason for it being altered.