INDEPENDENT LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 254, 20 July 1908, Page 8

INDEPENDENT LABOUR.

j ARBITRATION BILL DENOUNCED. THE FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE. Mr. James Thorn, of Christchurch, was the speaker at the • Political Labour ; League's meeting at the Theatre Royal last evening. After a preliminary concert, Mr. W. 'T. Young, in introducing Mr. Thorn to a rather sparse but quite sympathetic audience, mentioned his appearance before the Canterbury Conciliation Board and the Arbitration Court on behalf of the Farm Labourers' Union. Mr. Thorn said the farm labourers had been greatly disappointed- by the failure of the Government to, put the Agricultural Labourers' Accommodation Act into- force. This he attributed to a wish on the part of the Government not to offend the farmers. Mr David Jones, a.Canterbury farmer, had stated that the Hon. J. A. Millar told him that the Act would not be enforced, because it would operate over so largo an area. Mr. Thorn further, expressed the opinion that the Court' had received as good as a hint from the Government/not to make an award in-.tho, farm labourers' dispute, or not to make one too favourable to the workers. He had found out that out of the 7200 farmers whom he"' cited as parties to , the' l dispute, ■6225 farmed from one acre to 50 acres, and employed practically 110 labour. Consequently they would not be affected by. aiiy award. He maintained that the farm labourers had as good a right to have an award as anybody else, and if ,they could not got' one, 'they wore 'determined —at least thoso he had spoken to were determined—to do the other thing, which he'thought was the best thing, namely, to get Labour representation in Parliament, and have their conditions of . 'work fixed by statute. . . In "the courso'of his further remarks, Mr. Thorn expressod'a very -unfavourable viow of the.Government's "exertion Wage " .proposal. He said he had fought the matter, out at Christchurch before the Arbitration Court.' The idea,' as'carried out in. a'moulding shop in l that city, was that the making of, • say,' eight. boxes ; constituted '.a standard:', day's work, and if. a man made nine, he would bo paid half as much for the ninth as he received. for the.first eight.' Without 1 the exertion wage', he would 'have made, the ninth Bos in overtime, arid would have been, paid' time 'arid a, quarter for it., The exertion wage, besides unduly speeding-up workers, ana causing jealousy, aria unpleasantness! enabled the employers ; to evade l payment of' the minimum -wage- for excess-work; and "to beat- : the ■ men • out of • the ■ overtime pay to' which they were : legally'., entitled. He also' believed' it would jhave, another 'unfavourable result?' Once a mari'became proficient enough to.'turn,out nine boxes a, day- instead of eight,' ho would be taken, off- the job, andthe- new .-man put in ..his place would be told that nine boxes would be his ordinary standard, 'and.he must: make temto earn' a bonus.: Mr. Thorn next'advocated State'industries,, particularly: State farming, as the remedy for; social ills, and exhorted-nis.hearefs to'.work : through, the Political Labour League: '.Mr. D.M'Laren; in 'proposing.a vote; of' I thanks to ■ the' speaker (which was: subsequently carried with applause); denounced, the -Minister' for .'Labour as one who had gone back from the principles of.Trade-Unionism.' Tho new Arbitration Bill purposed to shackle the workers hand and foot. He deplored the fact, that a man who' had been • associated with Trade Unionism or the. Labour movement should have his name on,such a Bill. .