FARMERS AND AWARDS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17471, 3 June 1922, Page 7

FARMERS AND AWARDS.

DEPUTATION TO MR MASSEY. THE WHEAT QUESTION. (special to "the press.") INVERCARGILL, June 2. A deputation of farmers, over 50 strong, waited on Mr Massey to-day, and requested that agriculturists and pastoral ists should be exempted from the provisions of Arbitration Court awards. The deputation was introduced by Mr J. H. Hamuton, M.P. for Awarua, wno said that, as a practical laruier, Mr Massey must recognise how d-ificult it was going to be for laruiers to work their piaces if tuey were to be parf.es to awards. The southland farmers had never been cailed to give evidence betore the Court when the threshing mill workers' award was before it, but an attempt was now being made to cite them as parties. Farm labour must be excluded from awards, or it would be impossible to work the farms.

Mr G. P. Johnston (president of the Farmers' Union) said that it was evident that farming conditions were not understood by the Court. During tne harvest time farmers were in a difterent position in regard to labour from town industries, for they had to take any labour that was offering, and often work was held up by inefficient men. Again, other industries were in a position to —and always "did—pass on increased production costs to the consumer, but that the farmers could not do. The next reason why farmers should not be brought under awards was that they must not discourage the farmers. If they- became discouraged and production was lessened, it would be disastrous to the whole of the community, and everyone was anxious to see production increase. Mr Massey's Government had been known as the farmers' Government. in the past, and the farmers were appealing to it now to come to the rescue and free them from any encumbrances that were hindering production.

Mr A. Ray supplemented the previous speaker's remarks, and stated that a petition to Parliament on the lines of •the request was beina; prepared. Mr J. J. Crampton asked for some provision for the export of second grade wheat.. This was of no value at the present time, and farmers could get no price on it, as no one knew what its value would be. It was desired that the Government should either make provision for its export or permit of its export in reasonable quantities. MS MASSEY'S REPLY. In his reply, Mr Massey said that he | had received more complaints from ■ wheat-growers during the past three I months than during the whole of his previous political experience from the same class of men. Every effort should be made to see that New Zealand produced the wheat it required- Awards come along and farmere were telling him that the restrictions entailed were taking away any little margin of profit they might have had from wheatgrowing. Consequently there had been a number of complaints lately about the Arbitration Court, and he supposed that faults would be always found with it hy. the Bides detrimentally affected I by its ruling, but he thought that there, was* a remedy, and although .he could not tell them what 'it was, he would 1 be in a position to tell the House I what was intended. If the Arbitration Court was going to survive the E resent times, and it was going to last, jgislation would have to be amended. Mis:own opinion was that the public should be represented on the Court. in the past the public, although vitally concerned, had had no say in the negotiations between Capital and Labour, but of late he had been looking into the experience of other countries, and he thought that some of their legislation in this connexion might be copied with profit. ■"•--■ "If - they were going to have more production; he ' continued, they must revive some of the restrictions they had at the present time. He was out to help the country as a whole, and he thought that there was room to do a great deal more for production than was being done. Parliament's duty ras to assist the producers. Recently President Harding had said that if the United States was going to prosper the way it should, the producers would .have, to; be assisted, and the same applied- to ;New Zealand. They must see that any harassing restrictions were removed if the wheat-growing industry was going to prosper. If the wheatgrowers got tired and discouraged, they would have to get wheat from other countries, which meant that the whole of the population would have to pay more for its bread. Mr Massey's remarks were loudly apI plauded.