FARMERS PREPARING

Evening Star, Issue 19791, 15 February 1928, Page 2

FARMERS PREPARING

ARBITRATION AND PRIMARY INDUSTRY * THE COMING INQUIRY [Special to the 'Stab.’] WELLINGTON, February 14. Preparing for the National Industrial Conference which meets on March 27, a preliminary conference convened by the New Zealand Farmers’ Union has been held here this week. Delegates attended from the Farmers’ Union, the Royal Agricultural Society, the Dairy Farmers’ Union, while the Shipowners’ Federation telegraphed an apology for non-representation. A day was spent discussing and formulating the primary producers’ views on the subject to be investigated, and disappointment was expressed over the small representation allocated the New Zealand Fanjiers’ Union in comparison with other farmers’ organisations, the opinion being expressed that a much larger percentage of sheep farmers and dairy farmers were represented by the Farmers’ Union than by the other organisations of primary producers. The delegates elected to take part in investigation were Mr W. J. Poison (president of the Farmers’ Union), Mr F. Colbeck (Auckland), Mr R. S. Chadwick (Dannevirke), Mr W. W. Mulholland (Darfield), Mr J. Carr (Methven) The attitude likely to be taken up by these representatives of the primary producers is that they do not advocate the abolition of the Arbitration Act, but it should bo amended in several important respects. The penalty clause accompanying preference to unionists should be enforced, and in any dispute the third party substantially interested, such as the producers in connection with the freezing industry, should be given the right to appear before the Arbitration Court. The ability of the industry concerned to bear aii award should be taken into account by the court, which should also, where possible, provide for the piecework principle. The delegates will endeavor to demonstrate the fairness of exempting from Arbitration Court awards farmers and those in' related industries which depend for their return on prices realised under world competition.