ORCHARD WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 209, 4 August 1937, Page 14

ORCHARD WORK

WAGES AND HOURS PROBLEM. VALUE OF GUARANTEE. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Aug. 3. “It is rather difficult to understand why the fruit industry, which admittedly is not in a prosperous condition, should have been picked out to bear higher wages and greater restrictions of hours than any other primary industry in New Zealand,” said the chairman of the New Zealand Fruit Export Control Board, Mr H. E. Stephens, at the annual conference to-day. Mr Stephens said the export guarantee for the 1937 season had been increased by the Government from 10s to 10s 6d per case, c.i.f., to enable the growers to pay higher wages to their labour. This action .applied only to 30 per cent, of the crop which was exported from New Zealand although the other 70 per cent, of the crop also had to bear the increased charges. The Government, therefore, announced that it would make available £40,000 as a subsidy on locally sold fruit provided the increased returns were not sufficient to meet the increased costs due to higher wages. The difficulty in regard to this proviso was that the grower had to meet the increased costs week by week, and it would bo many months before he would know what amount, if any. he was entitled to receive from the £40,000. This form of guarantee had not resulted in the employment of more labour as had been hoped. The main person to benefit had been the small grower who employed little or no outside labour. There had been an increasing amount of work done by wives and families on the orchard, and a very definite tendency to restrict the amount of fruit handled to what could be done by the family with the employment of the minimum amount of hired labour. It was also noticeable that maintenance work was not being kept up to standard owing to high wages. On the larger orchards more difficulty was being experienced, and owners were diffident about investing further capital in them owing to fear of future legislation and the rising demands of Labour unions. "Such measures as guaranteeing prices, raising wages to increase the buying capacity of workers and employing surplus labour on unreproductive work would only temporarily relieve the position and a permanent cure can only be effected by rationalising primary production,” said Mr Stephens. “The real objective to be aimed at is to be able to place our products on the world’s market at world market prices, so that the producer will bo able to obtain a fair return for his labour. _ _ “If in trying to attain this it is found that the return is insufficient to give all the labour handling the produce the high standard of living that the Government desires, then it will be the Government’s duty to find ways and means of making up the difference, or if sacrifices have to be made, the Government must see that the burden is borne equally. If hired labour is to be guaranteed a- certain standard, then it is equally desirable that the producer and employer of labour should be also guaranteed to the same exT. C. Brash, president of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation, said the increase of the Government guarantee from 10s to 10s 6d had been a o-enerous gesture to meet the cost of higher wages for the 1937 season but it would not be adequate for the 1938 oacking. Materials alone would be up in price by 6d «a case and -rowers would have to bear the burden of higher wages for the full vear, which they had not ha.d to do in 1337.