FARM LABORERS.

Evening Star, Issue 13098, 3 November 1908, Page 2

FARM LABORERS.

| A CANDIDATE’S ADVICE. [Special to the Stab.}* 1 - ** tut CHRISTCHURCH, November 3. Tflero never was such an eye-opener to; ’ Lanrerbnry as th© farm laborers’ dispute,” said Mr George Sheat, the Opposition con-1 «ru ate f< ? r Hiccarton, in an address at; af 1 -! nlll, Sheat, continuing,, said i ', . ' t ,Y as sit nply political unrest that had I if 1 ? whole thing, and Mr Thom i had given Jlie whole show away” when h© ! wrote to. the ‘ New Zealand Times ’ that the !*>«« at the head of the Government had ' said that if anything more wan wanted for labor the farm laborers must be organised, cm ,^ ecn alleged that because he (Mr c e ?^) of tho employers on the Conciliation Board, recommended Mr Justice Sim not to make an award he was ashamed of the position h© took up. But the evidence before him was absolutely would bay© been suicidal to the host interests of tho Dominion.—(Cries of "No.”) He had had to go by th© evidence. Ho had taken an oath before a Supreme Court Judge to give his decisions according to tho evidence, and the evidence before them left them no option but to send down the recommendation that they had made to leave things as they were. The two representatives of the labor unions on tho Board had said "Give tliem all they ask for,” and tho chairman had said that when the two sides quarrelled the Board had better go halfway. Mr Jmtico Sim had been compelled, as the result of the three reports submitted, to read the evidence and to assimilate it and bring lus judicial mind to bear on it. Mr .Sheat went on to say that there was a give-and-take system in vogue, as between farmers and their men. Wlien ho went homo the other day he inquired for three of his men, and was told that they were off playing cricket at Buvuluim. but he did not mind, became the men were at his bock and call, and at harvest time they worked double time. During the show week farm laborers would be (locking to town, and would he taking a fortnight off. Did the factory employers, he asked, give their em- ! ployees fortnight’s holiday and pay them for it? It had come out m evidence that there were 5 jkm- cent, of the employers of ' farm laborers who were bud employers—brutes, who did not know how to treat a dog, let alone a man. He would have liked to have nu»de them sit up, but lie could not have done so without (icnalising the other 95 per cent. His advice to' the farm laborers was not to work for the 5 per cent, of bad employers. ■