CHEESE FACTORIES DISPUTE

Southland Times, Issue 17305, 29 March 1913, Page 5

CHEESE FACTORIES DISPUTE

MEETING OF FACTORY EEFRBSEI** TATIVES. ASSESSORS APPOINTED. About a year and nine months agofh# cheese factory employees of Otago and' Southland formed a Union; but later it was decided to confine the membership entirely to cheese factory managers* After some time the Union drew up de-. mands, which were submitted to the factory directorates. After several conferences between representatives of tho South Island Dairy Association, and tho Union, an agreement was arrived at, butt owing to dissatisfaction among factory: directorates. It was not completed, and it was decided to allow the dispute tm go before the Conciliation Council, m sitting of which will be held In Invercargill on Thursday next 'A meeting el '•representatives of Southland dairy factories was held in Allen’s Hall Mr John Gray, President of the South Island Dairy Association, presiding, and the following factories were represented Aparlma, Awafua, Drummond* Taierl. and Peninsula, Edendale. Bry—done, Menzies Ferry, . Olenham, Gorge Road, Grove Bosh, Hedgehops Dbchiel, Mataura, Merrivale, Mokoreta, Morton Mains, Orotl, Otautau, Oteramika, Pah la, Pine Bush, Pnkerau, Ey*4 Bush, Seaward Downs, Stirling, Switzers, Tapanui, Te Tua, Tbombury, Tia—bury, Toi Tois, Tapanui, Waimnmu# Win ton, Woodlands, Wright’s Bush, Wyndb«m, Fairfax, and Woodlaw. t The demands were ’ fully’" ifa»cdßoe«V and the meeting wasunanlmons thatths* Union was not in a position te clkint an award. It-was urged that there was nothing to indicate what constituted m ebeesemaker, and a man with no .qnaU* fications might become a member of that Union. , In such a case, if preference t* Unionists were granted the results mlghtt be serious. In the case of say an gineer a certificate would have te bafl held and examinations passed before aej roan could qualify, and before doing)i that he would Have to- - serve an ap—4 prenticeshlp. One speaker pointed ontt; that this showed the need for a dairy;! school, as an adjunct to an agrtcnW tural college, where men could be examined and given certificates. It was decided, however, to givA thm assessors power to meet the Union. In M reasonable way, and the opinion was expressed that a settlement would duly bh arrived at. That Is, if It is found-that an award will have to be made. ..There waa considerable competition for the position of assessors, two of whom-were required, and after a ballot had been taken, Messrs J. Fisher (Otautau) and T. w'. Foster (Oware, Wyndham).;-wero elected. ’ Otago factories had previously l 'met, and elected Mr W. J. Bolt, of the Taierl and Peninsula Company to represent them, and he will act with Messrs Fish* er and Foster.