CANTERBURY FARM LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 561, 16 July 1909, Page 8

CANTERBURY FARM LABOUR.

, AND CmCULAIIS TO .FARMERS. \ ■ V' AX ' u ■■■; ■ Christchurch, July 15.' ."'■ Mr. J. Kennedy, secretary :of the Farm, Labourers' Union, v speaking to a reporter this afternoon in "connection with the . restatement union had-been sending letters to .farmers, threatening them with prosecution unless'they: observed t .the recommendations • made by the , Judge','of •; the Arbitration ;Gpurt' in connection with':tho farm' labourers' 'dispute,; said that i there- was some as : to the" nature of i : the letters.-i; The Judge .had, : recdmmended : that .day;, labourers .should be paid not less than 7s:; a-day, and his investigations had proved;that, in many cases, the men were receiving .■ only'6s,,-. while.the general rate was'tk 'rhe/,reoonunendatio'ns in; regard to the payment, of 50s. a week to harvest hands' had 'also not; been, complied with, ■•'. and thel; provision ■' that j men _ should haveva a.'week- if they asked for ithadnot been;'carried 'out. There ■were, some farmers'who gave •their men'a week's, holiday.: ; eacli' year on fulls pay,-but there 'were many, who'did. not.. .The Judge also recommended that,when general hands ■had to milk cows night; and morning, they should have interval; of rest; besides "the dinner hour, during the day.! In no : instance, had that been granted. _'; ;.■. In response to many notifications from farmers and persons who were, paying,the proper wages, and : who wrote' to; him- to .say that other men. in their, districts -Were ,';not. paying 'the same money,:■■Mr.'-'Kennedy..sent out circulars', to the farmers drawing their attention to the remarks of; the : Judge in the hope that'they would, have some', weight in obtaining better conditions for, the men. He had'never had the.slightest intention.of threatening the farmers, and > he had ,'no power to do. 50..-., Tho ■ letter was solely in the interests of -obtaining, for the men the fair.'treatment'that,the Judge ; had said that they should get, and it was' not fair that some men' should bedoing their best to comply with the recommendations,' Whilo people In .'tno, v sami; ; the men all'they'khew.'Vv'V .'. -.•'v-^v-; : 7, '■'■'■<'.:.;■. 4 V- ; Mr. Kennedy, added ,i;hat' there had been an Act , passed''for;the'better'.housing of the men, but;; so;.far-as he know,;there were no farmers who had- -erected /.better places-for :,their men,than-those that\they : had had be-' fore. •'- ■''•'■;*■;•■■ ■: .'/-■;.;■„■ '/■-..; '~-;.,- ■ v,-