DAIRY FACTORY HOURS

Southland Times, Issue 23840, 10 June 1939, Page 11

DAIRY FACTORY HOURS

EXTENSION URGED BY CONFERENCE STABILIZATION OF WAGES SOUGHT (Special to The Times) DUNEDIN, June 9. Remits favouring an extension of hours in cheese factories and advocating the stabilization of employees’ wages and conditions for a period of not less than three years were carried at the annual conference of the South Island Dairy Association today. It was also decided, on the motion of the Edendale Company, to recommend to the executive that it would be in the best interests of the association if the annual conferences were held in rotation at the various large centres of the South Island. A suggestion from the Clandeboye Company that next year’s conference be held at Timaru (backed up by an invitation from the Mayor of that centre) was approved. STABILIZATION OF WAGES

Mr J. Donehue, on behalf of the Clandeboye Company, moved: “That in view of the request made by the Minister of Marketing, that the industry accept a similar payment for dairy produce in the forthcoming season to that paid during the season now closing, this conference requests the Government to stabilize employees’ wages and conditions for a period of not less than three years.” Mr Donehue said that if they could get wages stabilized for three years it would go a long way towards stabilizing their costs. Another speaker opposed the remit on the grounds that in view of uncertain conditions it would not be advisable to set these figures on a three-year level. Mr L. R. Clarke (Midland) moved as an amendment: “That in view of the request of the Minister of Marketing that a similar price for dairy produce be accepted in the forthcoming season, this conference respectfully draws his attention to the fact that, notwithstanding his assurance to the industry that the Government’s policy will be towards no further increases in costs, the industry views with alarm the very fact that the workers within the industry are now asking for higher wages and shorter hours, which is not consistent with the stand-still policy suggested by the Minister in respect to the guaranteed prices of last year.” The remit was withdrawn in favour of the amendment, which was carried unanimously. Copies are to be sent to the National Dairy Association and the Dairy Board to enlist their support “to bring the view of the conference to a satisfactory conclusion.” CHEESE PRODUCTION The following remit was submitted by the Tuturau Dairy Company:—“That as factory managers are definite that cheese cannot be satisfactorily manufactured under the present weekly hours of work, this conference strongly supports , the Awards Committee in its endeavours to have the 52-hour period extended to 36 weeks of the year.” ' Moving the adoption of the remit, Mr W. Muir said this was a very, important' matter. Small factories were hit worse than the others under the present conditions, which were detrimental to the quality of the cheese produced. The remit was an entirely reasonable suggestion. If it were not adopted the industry would continue to suffer. “We should stick our toes in and get it,’’ declared Mr Muir. “It seems strange than we cannot get the conditions to suit our industry.” After some discussion, during which Mr D. Rutledge (Invercargill) pointed out that apparently butter men were being left out in the cold and that their interests were identical, the remit was carried.

A remit from the Clandeboye Dairy Company to the effect that the Awards Committee be recommended to insist that in any further negotiations for cheese-workers’ awards the first assistant be required to hold a boiler certificate was carried.

The conference concluded today.