FARM LABOURERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13332, 8 July 1907, Page 3

FARM LABOURERS.

■MEETING AT TEMUKA. On Haiarday eve.iing in the Parish Wall, Timuku. Mr Thorn (secretary of the CariUrbuiy Farm Labourers' Uniim) addrexse<l a me.ting of farm labourers. There were about liity pre.-ent and Mr J. Washington presided.

Mr Thorn said that lately in tin- Christchurch papsis thei-..- had been lettns staling that neither he nor the President (Mr J. A. McCullousrh) of [lie Farm Labourers' Union would have occupied their positions in the Union only that they weie making' something out of it. lie had got nothing-, lie did not wunt anything and he did not expect, anything for his work in the Union. He was doing the work not for love of pelf but for tlie love of his fellmvmeii. Mr McC'u)lough was an elderly man. 55 years of age. with a wife and family whom he loved dearly but. instead of staving' at home he was away at Met liven that evening working for the love of the- cause. The President of the Noilh Canterbury Farmers' Union. Mr Jane-:, speaking- at Amberley recently, had said that the Government should cli*---miss Mr McCullough from Imposition in\ the Addington workshops because of his connection with the Farm Labourers' Union. Mr Jones was a lay-preacher in the Christian Church. He preached love and goodwill on Sunday and yet at Amberley he expressed himself in that unchristian spirit. The speaker went on to draw attention to Mr Flatman's remarks at Messrs Ell and Barr's Geraldine meeting. Mr Flatman had said that he (Mr Flatman) occupied neutral ground, that he wished to stand between the Farmers' Union and the Farm Labourers' Union and see fair play. • Mr Flatman also had said that the men who had drawn out the demands knew nothing whatever about their business, and that the Faim Labourers' demands should be torn up and a. now set jnade out. There was a class of politicians in this country who always wanted to stand on neutral ground. They wanted to watch things and then take the course that seemed to take best with the people. Mr Flatman's statement - that the men's demands had bejn iramed by others than farm labourers was untrue. The demands had in the first place been drawn up by the- Sheffield branch and then these demands were submitted to

every branch 'in Canterbury. Every amendment that had been made by these branches had made the demands more unworkable and from an employer's point of view. The demands had been drawn up by men who knew what they wanted and who were determined to get it at all costs. The> farm labourers had sufficient intelligence to manage thejown affairs but the reason the town men had corns in to help was that when any farm labourer had taken a prominent part in Union imattci-f his master had shown prejudice against him and given him the , sack. Mr Kennedy had been sacked from 9 places because lie was a prominent member of the Union. Mr Kennedy had got work on a farm, at Southbridge on a Monday. In the afternoon the former on going into the town was told . that Kennedy the agitator was in the district. When< he went home he asked his new man his name and was told "Kennedy." The fanner said to him " Get off the place. We don't want you here." Another man who had worked on a certain estate some years became secretary of a branch. Tliis man's father had worked oil the estate for 25 years. The employer came to the .son and told him he had belter discontinue acting on behalf of the Union but the son said he would not give up his , Union. But the employer then threatenedto. sack the lather and the son resigned trpm the Union to save his father. They were determined to make this Union - the. strongest, and most important in New Zealand, one whose- strength would be respected and feared. Another reason why it was advisable that townsmen should be 'connected'' with' the Union was the 'great amount of clerical, work that had been done. . For instance over VOCO iannsis had'teen cited, and it was necessary to have soma one acquainted with the neccusaiV legal forms to do this woiK. Since he had been secretary he had looked up the labour laws of New Z«i- . land. There were laws for shearers, for seamen, for the general labourers in the towns, but there were none for the farm

labourers. The,reason was that they had , no .organisation; they .had no policy, no plan of action, they were only a crowd of units and the consequence was that they had never got anything from the Government. They must take an example from the employers who had their Farmers' Union and could not consistently object to the farm labourers forming a - Union. The principle of Trades' Unionism was that every man had a right to a living wage; that so far as possible there shoufd be an equalisation of wealth- which the labourers produced. Mr Hall-Jonti; when Acting-Premier had said in Timaru that the. private wealth of New Zealand was 25f? millions sterling, an average oF £3OO for every person in the colony. How. much of this £3OO had they each got? ■ (A voice : " Not many farmers have it either.") The exports of the colony were over 16 millions sterling nearly all the result of ths work of the farm labourers. How much of this wealth did they get? They right to their share and they should take what they could. They would not get more till"they formed a Union and lorced cgßcessiora from the employers who took the result of th-sir labour, of their skill, of their minds', an'l of their hands. They were told that ruin would result if wages were increased. In his own trade (metal workers) wages, previous to their forming a Union, had been from 5s 6d to 6s a day. Now the minimum) waga was 7s 4d "and some got 8e 6d a day. The Moulders' Union had increases from 8« to the present wage of 10s 4d- a , day. The Tinsmiths' Union from 5s and 6s"previously to a wage now of 9s a day. Were the employers ruined ? Not a bit of it. P. and" D. Duncan for instance, about the time of the increase in, wages had built new moulders and wheelwright shops costing many thousands of pounds, and ever since then the sum had been veiy biuy working a great deal of overtime. The" fiim had never made, more money than since the Arbitration Act came into force. The same result would occur of the farm labourers' wages were increased. The farmers would get better work because the- men would be inure contented. It was said that there was enmity between the town and the country workers. .S'onu of tha newspapers tried to make out that this was so. The Unions- in Christchurch numbered about 45 and when the Farm Labourers' Union appealed for help to the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council deputations waited on 20 of thews Unions and the. result, was that £75 was collected to help the Farm Labourers' Union. A wealthy man in Christchurch (although a wealthy man he was an ardent Socalisi) had promised him (Mr Thorn) •that he would find funds to help the Union to fight its case. Mr Thorn warned the workers that if thev joined the Union they might expect to get the sack for taking a prominent pare or getting others to join. Right throughout" Oaiiltrburv the Union men had b.,-n sacked " or h-ckled, but the liiovo persecution there was the better lor Union. Christianity had thriven under peirecution, ■ and the Union, if persecuted, would only becomthe strong-: r. In the town the men with Ih.' courage of their convictions had always come out best. Mr McCullongh ■was an instance of this. One time the employers hated him, but now they a"

mired him for Hie way he had held In his principles. r .l'he fanners would ha the jjuniD: they would admire tiks man who h:ifl backbone ■enough to stand up for his rights. The Union wished every man in have the courage of his convictions, and '.hen they could dictate, their own terms and win .every time. Dining the hist six weeks 200 new members had joined, and that evening meetings were being held at Pouthbridge, Springston, Meihven a'nd Teniuka, and they would' be very dis appointed if tlie.y did not secure 200 moie new members that evening. Once, upon a time a man was burned, but now they had :t new way, which was to "freeze" him out. They took his job from him. Thi time was coming when the bosses, ■employers, and their legislative assistants would respect and fear the men who were the producers. He appealed to them to throw in their lot with the Union ; their interests were not identical with the .employers'. They (the Union) wanted to make the men discontented with their lor. Let them hear the truth—contented men. were- no good ; they got nothing. lhev should be mad'e so discontented that they would try to get an adequate .plian* of thewealth they produced. He hoped that the Union would make them intelligently discontented, and he implored them to join and help in the great work. Afr Williams asked what provision would be made, for elderly men who were nob capable of earning lull wages. In reply Mr Thorn stated that permits were allowed in all award's to meet such eases. Most of the fawn labourers were men in the 2»ime of life, and' the Union was going to fight for a minimum wage for them. Mr Thorn said that he did not intend ta discuss at a public meeting the demands made by the men. He wanted the men to join the Union; he wanted their subscriptions. There was going to be a great expense when the case came before the Arbitration Court. 'i'ue Union had £IOO in hand, but there were 50 or 60 witnesses to be called, and tlits* witnesses were going to be paid 10s a day and all expentes.

Air Darby Dunn moved and Mr R Washington seconded a vote of thanks and confidence in Mr Thorn. , This was 'carried unanimously with applause. The Temuka branch ot the. Farm Labourers' Union had about 50 members ~.. foie. the meeting Degan, and names were being taken at the conclusion.

To the Editor of the "Tiniaru Herad."

Sir,—Your report of the meeting held by Mr P.. Kean at Pleasant Point is one of the strongest indictments against the citation of over BCOO persons by the socalled Farm Labourers Union. It bears out the opinion generally expressed by farmers that the promoters of this citation are not farm workers, but Christchurch agitators ' who knoiV absolutely nothing of the general condition of farm work. In securing the services of Mr Kean the promoters of this movement have secured one who knows something of what he is talking about and his condemnation of the schedule of demands is about as complete as any opponent could! wish. His position is about as illogical as could be imagined. He admits the demands are absurd, yet he argues because farmers are combining to resist these absurd demands, that farm workers must combine to support them. And then goes on to draw a fiction of the peace and harmony which will.be promoted by their action.

I would like to ask Mr Kean' what is done with the money contributed' by members of the union. This union is ,1 understand, four years old. ' According to Mr Ell the. membership is over ICOO. The contribution demanded is 5s on joining, with a weekly contribution of sixpence. These payments would give an income of £I3OO ptr annum, with -a reserve of £250 from the joining fe?. But Mr Ban- says in cases where members cannot afford the above payments,' as low as 2s 6d is taken from a joining member, and a weekly contribution of 4d. If the minimum is charged the farm workers, a proportionately smaller sum will be ■ received. No wonder, with such sums in view union promoting is attracting so many to its advocacy. It certainly pays better than tailoring, tinsmithing work, or even a farm worker. . I am, etc., WORKER.