VOLUNTARY BASIS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 66, 10 December 1937, Page 3

VOLUNTARY BASIS

h— Presa Aiiooiation.)

Agreements for Workers on Farms PRINCIPLE SUPPORTED

(By Telegrap

WELL1JN (iTUJN , Last xsignt. ■^The desirability of having farm work governed by voluntary agreements instead of by awards of the Arbitration Courts was admitted by both the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong and Mr W. J. Polson (Oppostn., Stratford) during the second reading debate on th© Agricultural Workers Amendment Bill in the House of Ropresentatives to-day. In moving the second reading, Mr Armstrong said the principal Act applied originally only to worliers on dairy farms, but power was taken to extend its provisions by Order-in-Coun-cil to other branches of the farming industry. The farmers were all anxious to be covered by those extensions, as they did not want to be brought under the Arbitration Court. The difficulty was to extend those provisions so that they would be binding in law. The Act prescribed weekly wages and annnal holidays, but the grain-growers, for instance, wanted hourly rates and provisions for casual workers. As a result it was necessary to validate agreements which differed in some respects from the terms of the Act. ""If the Bill is not passed," the Minister added, "agreements which have been made already will not be renewed, for tbe simple reason that there will be no power to enforce them in law." ' ' Perf ectly Satisf actory. ' ' ' ' What the Minister has said is entirely "correct," said Mr Polson. "The original agreement covering dairy farm workers has been perfectly satisfactory. It has kept the dairyfarmers out of the turmoil and contentious atmosphere ©f the Arbitration Court, and 1 think the men, too, have been satisfied with the arrangemcnt. This idea of men and masters meeting round the tab.l9 provides a much better plan for securing industrial peace than anything else. ' ' The one weakness in the Bill arose from the possibility that wages for different classes of farm work might havo fb be varied in accordance with different prices, Mr Polson continued. If there was a fall in wool prices, while the guaTanteed price for dairy produce remained high, the wool-growers might be placed at a disadvantage. Mr R. Coulter (Government, Waikato): Give them a guarahteed price for wool. Mr Polson: I think the matter can be overcome without the necessity for anything like that. Difficulty had already been experienced with regard to the fruit.growers, said Mr Polson. They had agreed to a set of conditions which were not in. conformity with those laid down for other branches of the farming industry, inasmuch as they .provided for classification of workers, compulsory unionism and other details. The conditions as a whole were nnworkable. The Minister of Agriculture, tho Hon. W. Lee Martin: The fruitgrowers were badly advised by their assessors. Fruitgrowers' Position. "They are in a liopeless position at present," said Mr Polson. "They thought they were going to get a guaranteed price which would enable them to pay the wages u,nd still earn a decent living for themselves. They are now fafced with Arbitration Court proceedings, and if the Court gives them an award they cannot come under the Agricultural Workers Act. It is to be hoped that this matter will be settled ' ' Mr Polson said an agreement had reeenfcly been made with sharemilkera which provided further proof of what could be accomplished by friendly discussions. The Minister: That will be the subject of a separate Bill early in the New Year. Mr Armstrong said that if the fruitgrowers came to an agreement with

their workers in conciliation council that agreement could be written into an order under the Act instead of into an award. The Leader of'' the Opposition, tbe Hon. Adam Hamilton: What if they do not come to an agreement? "If there is no agreem«nt we will see what we can do about it," said the Minister. "The Bill is a pretty fair indication that we do not want them to come under an award. Some doubt has also been expressed concerning the effect of a recent agreement on the . ability of permanent farm hands to take part in shearing work unless they become members of the union. I have consulted my department on this point, and thep osition of permanent ■ farm hands has not been altered at all." The Bill was passed without amendment.