BURDEN ON PRODUCERS

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1930, Page 11

BURDEN ON PRODUCERS

COST OF THE WAGES AWARDS . AMENDMENT. OF ’ACT, REQUESTED? ■ ft/./..-'-/ -ft ■ • ' ‘ t • ECONOMIC CONFERENCE - URGED. By Telerreph.—Press Association. ■"■■■ Dunedin, Last Night. At a conference of dairymen .to-day Kfr. J.'Christie sq,td that the great cause of the position as regarded wages in . .certain?, industries had been brought about by themselves. High wages had been paid by/certain employers and the Arbitration- Court had taken them as th standard. The shearers’ award,-how-ever, at-the present time was based on ■the price of wool and. sheep were being shorn at a lower rate than last year. H" thought the remedy for the existing state of affairs im'the dairy industry would be .to have a. sliding scale of wages on. the- prices of products. . Mr. Christie moved ..hat the Arbitra- . tion Act be amended in the direction of providing for compulsory conciliation and optional arbitration • . - The motion was qarried Mr T Waite,- M.P., reiterated the statement that the Arbitration Court ■as onlv one-of the-things they had to’ consider. All sorts of costs were in/reasing—interest, Government taxation and local body taxation. Parliament would not meet till June and they must act at once. All oyer New Zea.land industries were closing down be■'cauee -they could not carry on. Sawmilliner businesses in Otago and Southland were closing down this month be- ’ cause they cou|d ,not sell their timber. He moved that, the Government y e asked to call together at the earliest moment a pational economic conference representative of. the primary producers,. fin'ancial institutions and employers to decide on some methods of reducing overhead costs so . that the industries of ,the pountry may continue. : - .-ft- -ft. • ■ - Mr. Robertson. seconded the motion, which was. carried..