CASE FOR WORKER REPRESENTATION ON DAIRY BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26915, 29 October 1948, Page 5

CASE FOR WORKER REPRESENTATION ON DAIRY BOARD

P.A. WELLINGTON. Oct. 28. A suggestion that dairy farm workers and dairy factory workers might be given direct representation on the Dairy Board was made by Mr A. C. Baxter (Govt., Raglan) during the second reading debate in the House of Representatives to-day on the Dairy Produce Amendment Bill. He invited members of the Opposition and also leaders of the dairy industry to consider his suggestion and comment on it. The debate was resumed by Mr E. B. Corbett (Oppn., Egmont), who said that when the Government representative on the reconstituted board was appointed consideration should be given to the South Island, which, under the present elective system, had only one member. Mr Corbett said he would like to see a more satisfactory method of selection of the industry’s representatives on the Dairy Products Marketing Commission. At present the industry could nominate two persons for each vacancy that fell due, leaving the Government to make the final selection. It would be more democratic if the directors of dairy companies could vote directly for one appointee as required. The Dairy Board had given general satisfaction in recent years but an exception was that it had not been frank enough about the recent negotiations on price adjustments. The industry, on proved costs, asked for an increase of 3d per lb butter-fat and the commission finally gave .84d. That was causing producers some uneasiness and 'the Dairy Board should now be able to throw light on the representations that were made and on the basis of this disappointing decision. Two Authorities Mr Baxter said it was open to question whether two separate authorities —the Dairy Board and tfye Dairy Products Marketing Commission—were necessary. That was a matter for the farmers themselves to decide, not for the Government. Dairy farm workers were vitally concerned in the price of butter-fat and were they not entitled to some say in fixing the price of butter-fat on which their wages depended? There was a case for reasonable worker participation in the industry, not worker domination. Probably in no other industry were relationships between employer and employee better than in farming. Dairy factory workers did not depend in the same way on the price of butter-fat, but their part in the industry was vital and it would not be beyond the dignity of the industry to grant farm and factory workers joint representation on the Dairy Board. The dairy section of Federated Farmers was also entitled to direct representation on the board, as had already, been sought.

Mr S. W. Smith (Oppn., Hobson) agreed that two authorities in the industry were not needed. Had the Dairy Board been revised some years ago, as the industry wanted, there would have been no need for the Dairy Marketing Commission, which was forced on the industry by the Government. Fixing of Incomes Dairy farm workers had a right to a say in the fixing of their incomes, but they exercised that right during negotiations over their wages, and butter-fat prices took the wages agreed on into account as a cost factor. It was, therefore, doubtful if there was any need for the direct representation of farm workers on the Dairy Board. Factory workers similarly were heard during the Arbitration Court negotiations on their wages, and that appeared sufficient. Mr Smith said that farm labourers would be “as rare as the moa ” in 20 years’ time if £6 18s was all they were to be paid for a seven-day week. On the basis of services rendered, it might be more appropriate if farm workers received £ 10 a week for their seven days’ work and wharf labourers received £6 a week for their 40-hour week. Farm wages would have to go up, and the farmers would have to claim recompense in the price for their produce. The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Cullen, replying, said some dissatisfaction had been voiced at this year’s butter-fat prices, but that was solely a matter for the Dairy Marketing Commission. Mr Cullen said he could not understand why a larger number of young men did'not go to work in the country. He considered that that was still the best type of employment. Most of the employees in the country were single, and their wages were £6 18s a week, and they were generally found. In some respects the man in town was no better off. He thought that after the war hysteria had died down they would get back to normal, and the farmer would be able to obtain all the labour he required. The Bill was read a second time.