"PULL TOGETHER."

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18924, 12 February 1927, Page 14

"PULL TOGETHER."

HON. MR M'LEOD TALKS TO WORKERS. "A PLAIN, BLUNT MAN." A novel feature of the visit to the Woolston tanneries yesterday by the Hon. Mr McLeod, Minister for Industries and Commerce, and party, was the assembling of all the workmen to hear an address by the Minister aud Mr C. M. OlHvier, chairman of directors. The latter said that what the country wanted was sincere men—politicians with more sincerity and less of the politician. The country and everybody in it were up against it, and the only thing was to pull together in the best interests of all. One of the great troubles of the Dominion was that no one stuck to his own last. The farmer, through ignorance, thought that everybody dealing in his goods was making unfair profits. If they made money they wero profiteers —if they lost it they were inefficient. Through the farmers interfering in an industry about which they knew nothing, one of the greatest debacles in New Zealand's history had occurred in the freezing industry. This spirit had to be left behind, although he knew the farmers were the backbone of the country. Mr McLeod was a plain, blunt man. The speaker s company had been up against it all the time, but in spite of the statements made, it had nothing to do with the American meat trust. Mr Ollivier proceeded to deal with the prosecution of tho company by tho Government, averring that it was unfair. Its profits had been controlled, ho said, when there were men in tho Cabinet making fabulous profits. (Applause.)

Tannery Workers Hear Minister. "I address you boys with a good deal of pleasure,'' said Mr McLeod. Not for one moment had ho come to discuss Mr Ollivier's differences with the Government. It had endoavoured to do tho fair thing. "There is one advantage you boys have," ho said. "Every three years you get the chance of making a iob of us." He had been a farmer all his 1 life, he said, and had taken his place in tho shearing sheds and bush and fencing camps. He had never been afraid to tackle 150 merinos a day with tho blades. Thus ho probably understood more about tho workers than those who professed to represent them. He knew that they had a long way to go beforo industrial conditions wcro perfect. A better understanding was needed. Employers and employees wore drifting into different camps, and could see no virtue in one another. There were a lot of shepherds intent on keeping them in separate camps. Occasionally both parties combined against tho farmer. A greater loss than that of the farmers and the Woolston tanneries during the war had been the loss of life, but this had been cheerfully submitted to at the behest of the Government, and he believed they would be propared to do the same again. (Applause.)