THRESHING OUT OF STOOK.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14004, 13 September 1909, Page 4

THRESHING OUT OF STOOK.

Ton day'S; ago,'writing •«» . ( iho.,iiwlu> rial, agreement 1:01110 to between the >j. in<r mill owners ami. -tli« !\Vainmte workers unions, ■ 0110 ( lant'O oi ln-ii provides for the "suspension" ,1 Uiveshing from stuok; iu Mid Mi .mill owners aiid employees have ~tvii Tjinocl to limit the liberty of -the iarm.r to carry ou his'business as lie pleases;, and without consulting him at all have, given him a fresh ■ commandment, a. "I'liou shalt not' which will eertaiiily. b-> resented." A /largo meeting of farmers ■ held on-Saturday afternoon expressed that resentment,, not. .less, their . assembling than by what the various sneakers said. The fjnustion of stooli-threshing appears to. have been vorv well threshed out fronr the favour- ;

abfc side, and objections appear also to have been fairly met, hud the balance is clearly iii favour of the practice, The worst tiling about tlie position is that the mill ownersi and cm- - ploypes' lisgal rcpresimtatiyes ntado an • agreement affecting t)ic interests,.of< a, third party, the farmers, to an important degree / withdut giving the latter a eliaiiec of beiilg ht'iil'd. Sonic mill owners wlio, vertS",present said tliey bad had no hand iiv making the agreement and knew nothing about it. is M be presumed that as mill owners ' they were -'cited'' by- the workers' union, ,&nd thecitation was aca ropy of tlio workers' demands, which iticiiuled tho ".suspension ": of stook threshing; • therefore tliey ought to JuH-c known soinctliiiig 'about it. :■" The rcsJMmsibility of, meeting the workers' representatives before tlie' Conciliation 1 Commissioner was left to three; persons selected at the annual nioeting,, andVw'liateyer, thfese.representatives lawfully 7 'agreed to, wo' understand,' 'is ljindiiig upon '■' the■■wjirile of the mill owners ,, whether'members of ' tlie union or not, .when. the. agreement has been confirmed by the Arbitration ■Court.-.' The' farmers' committee should lose no -time.' if, as was stated, the agreement coincs: up ! for • cpnfirmalion „next Friday.;;^,,:.':-;,'";.., : .'_::'' ;';■„ ■'■/;.,