THE FARM LABOURERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13638, 4 July 1908, Page 6

THE FARM LABOURERS.

,AG IT ATI ON IN AUCKLAND

Per Press Association,

AUCKLAND, July 3.

The labour question • and the lecommendation of-.the Conciliation Board in t.he farm labourers' dispute in C'anttrbuiy have been agitating the minds of Amkland faiuiers, and to-day the Auckland Agricultural and Pi'.isiorat As.--ociat.ion li-ld a special mee.ing lo go into the matter. There was a large, attendance, and the president. (Mr John Massey) occupied iue chair.

Mr J. Fianngan (Dniry) thought (he Association -should take up (lis atiitude of the Fanners' Union and request the (iovernineiiu to aboiiiji i.h« A|: biOrat'ion Act as far as the farming industry ; was concerned. Thty had seen how ctooue.uy ■lie Act had worked in other trade;-, and how Loulrt it operate successfully in thefarming industry . Ilia conditions reccmmended by the. Canterbury .Board would make fanning practically impossible in Auckland. If there wa.s any justice on the other sidt> he wuuiq noi- mind coming to an' agreement, but they haa oriiy ' u> hiok at. the events of the past few months to see how the Act operated. No one could s*ay uny of the unions which had.gone on •strike had been fair or reasonable in theirterms. The unions considered the. Act nhould be strictly enforced against employers but that the workers should use it, abuse.it, or defy it,-as they wished. He tin.ught a etroug resolution .-dioiud u<> passed protesting against the Act applying to farmers.

Mr Wallace said that if the wages' conditions were made to Work as. in other trades there would be endless trouble. A ploughman would do nothing else but plough, although the land might be too wet. for ploughing, and though scores of jobs were waiting to be done. If a farm labourer was put on for a day's ploughing he would want' to rank as a ploughman. A carpenter could riofc be a.-ked to paint, a iihe.l or he 'would ge-. into trouble with his Union. He did not. believe the farm labourers llietn.se!vet-; had wanted' the award. The whole service had' been stirred by agitators. He moved-— '* That ihis Association viewis \i itli concern the attempt- now being made by professional agitators to disturb the existing relations between farmers and their employees, and considers that any attempt to impose arbitrary, -unreasonable and impracticable restrictions on the conduct of the agricultural and pastoral industry would b? injurious to the best interests of the bona fide wage-earivens and unrest to the set-tleis who have spent time and money and labour on the land, and detrimental to the progress and prosperity of the country." Mr Taylor seconded the motion, which was put, and carried unanimously.