FARM LABOURERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13652, 21 July 1908, Page 6

FARM LABOURERS.

INCLUSION UNDER ARBITRATION ACT. FAVOURED BY TRADE CONGRESS. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 20. The proposal of the Farmers' Union that farm labourers should be excluded from the operation of the Arbitration Act was viewed with disfavour by the framers of the report to the Trades and Labour Conference. They saw no reason why any section of the workers should be "excluded from, the operations of tho Act.

When this clause' of the report came on for discussion, Mr Thorn said that as secretary of Canterbury Farm Labourers' Union ho liad to thank tho Unions throughout the Dominion for the support they liad given him in liis fight for the agricultural labourers. Anybody "»vho knew anything of- tho Farmers Union must know mat it was compiled inanuy ol tho m<'.:t Ttry gentlemen in the Dominion. Tliey had received a scar© because the farm labourers in Canterbury had organised and had made demands on their employers. They had an idea that if farm labourers met with any success their operations would extend further than Canterbury and the agricultural work-era would demand better wages and shurter hours. Tho farmers had taken ■up tlni attitude that the Act should mainly apply to towns and that tho country districts . should. bo excluded. They had a perfect right to think what they liked. He would not care to take on the organisation of farm labourers if they only had strikes to deal with. He was quite satisfied that a union of farm laboiueiK could not bts organised in Canterbury if the men had to strike to secure their "demands. The Arbitration Act, if not as good as it might be, gave great advantages and benefits as far as the organisation of country workers was .concerned. (Appluse). They must have tho Act if success was to be obtained. The unions should stand by and help in fighting the agitation of the farmers to secure a limitation of the operations of the Act. ATi- S. E. Brown drew attention to tho fact that the Hon. J. A. Millar liad stated on more than one occasion that the Government would see no class of workers outeidie the operations of the Act.

Mr D. McLaren was of the opinion that the farm labourers should, hare the advantages of the Act as well as everybody else. If there was more regard to the spirit of equity and common sense in Uio future than there had been in the past it would bo better. It was only a matter of time and the workers of the country would get sick of the whole affair. He referred to the matter of Ministers of the Crown making comments on questions which were subjudice. He took the present opportunity of entering a protest against such' tactics. The workers had been often told to put up with the law but when they came to put aside the flamboyant mat'or di*-»-wn : nated. it iv"--found thab those in higli places had no more regard or even less regard for the law than the workers. The law was there generally for the purposes and in the interests of capital jn the first instance. He. hoped the farm labourers would get some satisfaction, but he was not sroin<r to rt-. t i' l it cunio -abuul. The clause was adopted.