ARBITRATION COURT. INVERCARGILL, September 8.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 32

ARBITRATION COURT. INVERCARGILL, September 8.

The Arbitration Covrt met again this morning. Mr Justice Chapman presiding. The | taking of evidence for the employers in the sawmillers' dispute, claim and counter-claim, was continued. James Collins, Crown lands ranger, Southland district, said he appeared on subpoena. He had occupied his present position about nine months. Previously had about 25 years' experience in sawmilling. The industry was not improving when he gave it up nine months ago. Could not say that any mills had been abandoned for that reason. Mr Scott: There were 63 cited at the time of the last award. Now there are 41. His Honor : Perhaps some of them have cut out their bush. Witness: Previously, in 1901 and 1902, most of the mills were working on the level; now it was just the reverse. It cost two-thirds more to work Longwood than it s did in Seaward Bush. He should say about 60 or 70 per cent, of the millers were now working on the hills— two mills working on hilly country to one on the- flat. Cost of labour at Seaward Bush in his time would be 2s lOd to 3s per 100 ft, including sawing and trucking. In hill country on the same basis it would cost 5s on a low estimate. The increased cost was principally in the bush — rough country, sparsity of timber, increased cost of tramways. On the :H.at at Seawaid Bush it averaged 22.000 ft to 25,000 ft per acre — probably fully 25,000 ft; the hill country would average about 5500 ft to i.he acre. The areas nulls could take up was confined to 800 acres, but' the life of an area on the hill was only one-fifth of the life of an area on the flat, and the cost of plant on the hills was greater. The industry was greatly handicapped now as compared with 1901 or 1902. " Some nnils' iii the Longwood district were paying now, but as to some lie was doubtful. Millers were complaining about the smallness of the areas. The timber in the hill districts was red pine principally; but in Longwood there was a, lot of birch. The 5500 ft per acre he had estimated did not include birch. There was 90 per cent, of red pine at Seaward Bush; at Longwood theie wonld be among the pines 70 or 80 per cent, of red pine. The percentage of red pine m the Longwood bush could not be more than 50 probably less. The pine was of much better qiiality and value in the North Island. In the North Island the black pine was market- * *ble; in Southland it was not. The black fine of the north was a much milder timber. To Mr Paape: Was not in business,on his >wn account in 1901 ; he "was travelling and acting as bush inspector. He knew the Southland Company's No. 3 mill at Orepuki; the timber was as plentiful as it was three years ago and better. Anywhere near the top of Lon^wood the timber did not pay to work. Between the mill and the three-mile boundary the mill near the boundary line was the best in the area. He did not think the men -worked as hard to-day as they did 20 years ago. They were not so anxious to get on, and they did "not take the same interest in their employers' work as they did 20 years ago. He then paid 93 a day to his men. Men doing that sort of work now were also getting 9s. The output of the mills now averaged about 6s 6d. not including second-class timber. Second-class timber did not pay-to cut or sell. He did not include second-class timber m his estimate of 550J)ft to the acre. Twenty years ago he was paying 9s to men who today got 10s 6d. But other millers were not paying 9s 20 years ago. Twenty years ago rough timber sold at 5s per 100 ft. The average price on the whole output would be about ss; 15 years ago it would be about 6s, and the same 10 years ago. Timber was dearer now than it was 20 years ago— aboiit 6d a 100 ft ! more. Timber was not so plentiful, and it required more skill to work on the hills; there was no more danger on the hills than on the flat. On the hills the trees were larger and j more scattered; accidents happened on the flat because of the thickness of the bush. Labour had latterly been scarce. A great many men of the better class had left Southland because the wages at Dannevirke and the West Coast were better. The higher rate of wages had induced men to go away. Then some men hankered for change.

His Honor : We find that mining men seem _ to like change, and pass from one district " where they are getting good wages to another without apparent reason.

Witness: The men going away were mostly succeeded by Tasmanians. He did not find men from Tasmania and Victoria as competent as the Southland men. About six new mills had started on the hills within three years, some of which had previously been working on the flat — probably more. Could not speak certainly as to the percentage of mills working on the hills and on the flat. In the last three years aboiit six mills had cut out on the flat. Several mills had started on the flat in the same period. There w.ere eight or more mills started at Longwood in the last three years, and some mills had cut out. To Mr Scott : The greater part of the timber was certainly coming from the hills at the present time. He thought the fixing/of a high minimum wage/ had had^something to do with lowering the working quality of ,the men. If a poor worker at 9s was working alongside a good man getting the same pay the good man must be discouraged. To Mr Paape : When he left off milling he was paying more than the log rates to some bushmen, shoemen, and mill hands. That was at Stewart Island, where the work was interned and it was difficult to get men to go over.

Joseph Hensley, managing partner of the Southland Timber Company, generally corroborated the evidence tendered as to enormous increase in the cost of working in hilly country as distinct from level couniry. For timber from his firm's mill at Otautau— the difficulty being the preponderance of birch — 'his selling price last month was 6s 9d all round, a-nd that timber cost him 5s Gd to 6s. Oiit of that margin had to come office expenses, bad debts, depreciation, etc. Things v <ere miich. better -wlieii ttie *\"warcl c^me into force than they were at present. Southland could not compete with Auckland in the expert butter box trade. Under present conditions he saw no possibility of recovering the capital fioin the mill at Otautau. Second and third-class kauri was now selling cheaply at Dunedin, and cutting out red pine for rough linings. The kauri coulcl be shipped to Dunedin from the north as cheaply as the red pine could bo railed from Invercargill. Contractors preferred medium kauri to reel pine. In the last Government valuation of their 200 acres there was 64,00»ft of red* pine and 172.000 ft of birch. The only sale there was fox- birch was for chair and soft-framo work — a very small market indeed.

To Mr Paape: Tho royalty on birch was tho same as on led pine. As a, timber he considered that birch was under-rated.

His Honor: In any given market you will always find that there is only one timber in general use. I know that birch is a good timber, but it is not a timbetr that the trade demands at present.

Witness said that the market for birch was expanding slightly. "He cut more than 50 per cent, of birch, and for hi 3 whole output, all woods, his average price was 6s 9d. In some instances there wivi a marked differejwa

in tho work now done by the men, compared with what they did before the award. He thought, the men could do more. He had several time had lo complain to the manager, and had dismissed one man.

John Fisher, accountant at Oteuvtam, gave evidence generally corroborating that given by owners. He was convinced that the minimum wage provision had a levelling down tendency; the quality of work ■nas practically governed by the worst worker. As to the demand to prohibit the making 1 of contracts between employers and millmen

His Honor: This court has no power with legai'd to contracts. The court has explained that be-fore "When such a contract is made (he miLlman at once becomes an employer. The clause as to contracts therefore cannot be considered.

Witness said he had tried to get men to work between Christmas a,nd New Year, bui they had not agreed to. that-. Head m-off-cn complained to him that men were not rloiu^ enough •noik. He did not think Ihe cost "of liviiig al the mills had gone wp, but the- slandaid of living had gone up. Men wanted a bill of fare and more style and variety. He did not say that t-ha men should not get what +hey v.-anted. He did not blame them for taking all they could get; but the standard had certainly gone up very much. Thonias Latta of the firm of Latta Bros., sawmille-rs, Ov.aka. Caihii's Kiver district, caina into tho rward in 1002. The award immediately increased their expenses by £100 or £500 a year — about £600 a year now. The I»ressn't demands', if granted, would pracMcailly double expenses. H© was in very rougi country, and was handicapped ip that, way in competition v.ith millers on the level. He still worked with bullocks. His average for tv. o b-jshmen and a bullock-driver and team v\ii 2ict more tha-n 2000 ft sawli a, clay. On level counby, ?uch as Seawaid Bush, he °hculd er.pect 4000 ft or lace. The award v/agea were practically based on Seaward Bush conditions. His bush waa oi mixed timber. He objected to any advancs on the present v.-pges. It would bo a great handicap to all the Catlin's River millers. Most of them w;e having a very ha^-d struggle. To ilr Paape- He hod three mills, employing aboiit 40 men on the average. When tho awsvrd came in he had about 30.

Nicholas • Alexander Neiderex, sawmiller, Gorgre road, complained tlia.t business was not satisfactory. He worked at the mill himself, and had his two sons with him. In that way Ihey could keep expenses down to the lowest, but they were only just making a living. Ho got 5s Gd for best timber, 2s f>d for second-class, antS as for white pine. Those were the prices trucked. A lad of 17ft years worked his hauling engine. The lad was as good as a man, and the shoeman would not like to have any change. Good men w<?rc scarce, but a largo number of incompetents were always available. Good men were always 'worth their money, and were never too plentiful. His timber was small and inferior to that cut in other mills. He was not working in maiden bush. It would not be reasonable for him to expect to do as well as other sawmilleirs -working in maiden bush did.* He could not say what other miliers did. He knew that olJier millers had difficulties to contend with, and sometimes could not get sate for their timber. / „■,,, W. J. Perry, Waikapatu, corroboa-ated tha evidence of the vritnesses'as to the high cost of working mills in rough country. In fous years the price of timber had gone up Is 6d. Tho cost of prodtic-tion had increased much more than that. The millers" at Lougwood weTe barely making ends met-f. Bushmenaid not always v.ork-thcirfull«ighi; hours. He had surprised his men starting, work very late. ■- " . / , "VV. Timpany, sawinilleiy put m/a. statement of the time worked at his mills -at" iPahia for 12 months. In his experience the men wanted a, fortnight at Christmas, ."and;- when ho had tried to get them to work he had failed. The statement pub in showed thai at Pallia the men had only lost eight days in a year. , The court adjourned till 10 a.m. to-moxrow at Orepuki.