SHAREMILKERS EMPLOYERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 58, 3 April 1946, Page 7

SHAREMILKERS EMPLOYERS

SOUTII AUCKLAND BRANCH MEETING REPORT OF NEGOTIATIONS

Mr A. H. Coombe (Springdale) presided over a meeting of the committee of South Auckland branch oi N.Z. Sharemilker Employers Association held recently, in Morrinsville, delegates being present from Morrinsville, Taupiri, Hamilton, Matamata, Otorohanga, Te Awamutu, Hauraki Plains and the newly formed Rangitaiki Plains sub-bran-ches. Apologies for unavoidable absence were received from Cambridge representatives. The chairman reported on recent developments. Members of the Executive had attended the recent conference of the Dairy Section of Federated Farmers (Inc.) in Wellington when it had been agreed unanimously to set up an industrial sub-section of the Dairy Section within the framework of Federated Farmers (Inc.), consisting of employers of sharemilkers and others to be specified, with complete autonomy in matters relating to their own affairs. The Association’s Executive had met prior to negotiations with the

sharemilkers’ representatives and had considered suggested alterations to the Sharemilking Agreements Order, 1944. Many of the suggestions

forwarded by the South Auckland Branch had been accepted by the Executive to be placed before the negotiators.

A satisfactory agreement had been reached on most points in the negotiations but the employers representatives would not agree to the sharemilkers claims for adoption of a standard “half” share agreement the sharemilker provides the herd) and for increases in the various classes of contract to 60, 40 and 30. per cent.; and for compulsory un-

ionism for all sharemilkers. Mr Coombe expressed doubt as to whether the majority of sharemilkers in the country actually desired compulsory unionism. The sharemilkers had been represented in the negotiations by Messrs. Hair, Eddy and Fenton (officials of N.Z. Workers Union) and Messrs, Neems, Rogers and MacKenzie, sharemilkers from this dis-

trict. The employers had been represented by Messrs Blyde (N.Z. Farmers’ Union Inc.), A. H. Coombe, F. E. Harris, W. N. Perry (South Auckland), R. Craig (Manawatu), and A. J. Corrigan (Taranaki). Mr R. T. Davis (Otorohanga) had acted as chairman.

These were the main items on which agreement had not been reached and they would be placed before the Court of Arbitration, possibly towards the end of March. Referring to some of the approved alterations to clauses in the Sharemilkers Agreement Order, Mr Coombe stated that the clause deal-

ing with compensation payable to a sharemilker owing to the sale of a farm during the course of a season, had been altered to provide for compensation on a net return basis instead of gross, as formerly. Provision for reasonable housing conditions and facilities for sharemilkers had been written into the Agreement—dependent on the availability of materials etc. Housing conditions of sharemilkers in this district on the whole were good and not many employers in the area would be affected by the new provision.