FARMERS ROUSED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22657, 19 February 1937, Page 8

FARMERS ROUSED

FREEZING DISPUTE MINISTER CRITICISED OCCUPATION OF WORKS SHOCK FOIi THE COUNTRY [by telegraph—own correspondent] DUNEDIN, Thursday Strong criticism was directed at the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, for his action in the recent freezing works dispute at Auckland by members of the Otago Provincial Council of the Farmers' Union, at to-day's meeting. Resolutions of protest were passed, to bo forwarded to the Dominion executive, which was urged to associate itself with other farmers' organisations in placing tho views of primary producers before the Government. Mr. R. J. 10. Smith, president, said he felt it was his duty to draw the attention of the council to the extraordinary attitude taken up by the Government in connection with the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company's dispute. Briefly, tho position was that the men refused to work under the conditions laid down by the Arbitration Court, and took possession of the works. One would have expected tho Government to have maintained law and order and to have immediately prosecuted the offending workers, as the Government would most certainly have done had the employers been the offenders. Shaking Confidence But, instead of doing this, continued Mr. Smith, tho Government deliberately instructed tho police not to interfere, and the workers were allowed to. occupy the property of the freezing works until the Minister of Labour, in his own good time, proceeded to Auckland to reason with them. Again, instead of insisting upon the resumption of work as a preliminary to negotiations with the employers, tho Minister ordered the employers to concede certain of the workers' demands. If this were tho way in which the Government, which promised justice to all sections of the community, carried out its duties, then it did not inspire the employing section of the community with very much confidence. "Law-breaking Condoned" Mr. James Begg said he considered a protest most necessary. Not only had the Government condoned law-break-ing; it had been a party to it, and that was a serious matter. All parties to arbitration had received a severe shock, and the country as a whole could not fail to have been disturbed. Such things must undermine national confidence in the Government. One could well imagine what would happen during the next year or two when labour difficulties arose. The employer must abide by the letter of the law or pay the penalty. The employee (if he had a union behind him) might treat his awards with contempt. An important aspect of the matter, said Mr. Cameron, was the way in which primary industries were being saddled with costs, which must eventually tend to absorb any margin which might remain between the cost of production and ultimate market values for the produce itself.