FARM LABOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 8

FARM LABOUR.

INFERIOR CONDITIONS

(To the Editor.)

I cannot under-tand the r.asr, n f r , r f ann worker- not havin- a union and the 40-hour week in common with all other cias«e« of

worker*. City worker.* and those en/ajjed on public work- are now working the shortened working week and receiving gor.d # 12 e<, Public work- miiplnu,.. ..uly- u.irk 40 hour- a week and receive A! 4 and jet farm worker! U( obii.'ed to Work Si l hours and re. eivr half tb» pay that men on public work.- nrc,if. Thia i* mo-t unfair, and the -itu.irj.,n a--ravated i.v farm hand- no: !,em- permitted to leave the lon- hour- and low pay on farm* and participate in tiie 40-hour week nnd hijrher pay on public work* jo!*. Thi- el*., ~f thin put into plain word-, mean- that far:/, hand, are compelled to r tay on farm-, u .rk Ion? hour-, re.eiw. low J >av. or -:*rve. I t il4 th * neare-t thin- to "conr-cr,ptcd labour" that I know of. ll farm workt»i* were —iv en hour week and the same rati- of ;, av ag fellow workers receive on public works th« farmer would have no difficulty in {retting alj the labour required. and. furthermore. a bjij number of the :>h<kmi unemployed would «t> to work and cea-e to be a burden upon the "worker- who work." The farmer need not be out of pocket in connection with tiie c.rtrt hand* employed, for the bovcininciit could increase the "-uara nt eed price" and also ouh--i.li-e the wa-cs paid out. Far letter to do that than pay out -u«-tenaiicc -tionev to men who do not hin- lo earn it. ilM d manv r,f t },p m .in-le men. , 00. Before : l,e eh, tio n th# worker* of New Zealand we,,- promf-.d a 40. hour workin- week and farm hau.U expected to be treated ju-t the -ame „jl flt}ler worker-, fan it V bec,,u-e farm workers have no union that they are -o tr.-ated? If >o, the * "oner a union of farm worker- i- formed the better. Fake a- an in-tance tl,e recent '"stay-in" strike. The men. a* the result their unity, were able to demand and reeeive their own term*, ami Mr. Arm-tron? i« even yoin? i-o far as to alter lc-Mation which will cancel the rulinjrs of the Arbitration Court and jrivtt the men what they demand. If farm workers would band together and form a union they could place themselves in a -imilar position to freezing works employee*, for there are thousands of men employed throughout New Zealand a*s farm workers. OOVSCRirTET).