FARMERS' VIEWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 180, 1 August 1944, Page 6

FARMERS' VIEWS

SHAREMILKERS' CLAIMS JLLC.'S ACTIVITIES CRITICISED (0.C.) MORRINSVILLE, this day. The Morrinsville Farmers' Union is to be asked by the Morrinsville Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., to convene a meeting of farmer-owners who are employing sharemilkers, and representatives of local dairy companies, to discuss sharemilking problems.

This decision -.-as reached at the annual meeting of suppliers of the company after a number of speakers had made outspoken comment regarding the activities of Mr. F. E. Lark, M.L.C.. branch secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union, among Waikato sharemilkers. A resolution favouring the formation of a farm owners' association was withdrawn on the suggestion of Mr. A. Topham, the mover of the amendment urging that the Farmers' Union convene a meeting. Sir. W. Sharp (Kereone) criticised the activity of Mr. Lark at a time when others were endeavouring to promote unity in the industry to enable the maximum amount of butter to be produced for Britain.

"Sharemilkers Within Bights" Mr. Topham said that sharemilkers were quite within their rights in forming a union. It was purely incidental that a member of the Legislative Council was organising them. The tragedy was that such a state of affairs existed between farmers and sharemilkers. Evidence ought to be produced showing the number of former sharemilkers who -vere now farmers. In fixing a price to be paid for produce, he added, the Government should fix the amount to go to sharemilkers.

Mr. F. W. Seifert said the sharemilkers' demands could not have been brought forward at a more critical time. That was the only point about which they could complain. The farmers were not united in one body and that was their trouble.

Mr. W. E. Ayres said that if the farmers did not organise legislation would be passed giving the sharemilkers iheir demands and the result would be that many farmers would be forced out of dairying. "Every man should be allowed to make his own agreement," he added.

Mr. F. E. Harris (Walton) said there should be a meeting of all farm owners employing sharemilkers in the Morrinsville area to decide upon the steps to be taken. "If the sharemilker stops working a lot of farmers will be ruined," he added. "I do not say this will happen, but it is on the cards."