SWEATED LABOUR

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3299, 13 August 1943, Page 7

SWEATED LABOUR

POSITION OF THE FARMER INSUFFICIENT REWARD FARMERS’ UNION COMMENT “ I think it is fair comment to say that the dairying industry is the only industry that is not enjoying some measure of inflation,” said Mr W. A. Rushton, president of the Morrinsville branch of the Farmers’ Union, when speaking to members on Saturday night on justice for the dairy farmer and the labour reward. “The Government brought in the 40-hour week under the pretence that it would be a panacea for unemployment, but it has proved itself to be a means of exploiting a nation at war when men and women were drafted.into the armed forces and labour became scarce and work plentiful. This so-called scheme to benefit unemployment was then turned to good account ■by the Federation of Labour so that 1 anyone under an award who worked 60 hours per week had their wages doubled, so that now we have the spectacle of labourers receiving £lB per ■week and uneconomic industries are subsidised out of the War Expenses Account. No 40-hour Week “But what of the dairy farmer? (How does he fare? There is no 40hour week for him; his working hours are unlimited; his reward static. He is unable to pay competitive rates of pay; so in many cases he has lost heart and has allowed his herd to dwindle to a size that can be handled by himself and; his family if he is fortunate enough' to keep them. This injustice is recognised by the leaders of the dairy fanners who urge us to not only maintain but to increase production. My answer to them is that this is impossible if we as farmers are not to be brought up to the level of the other industries; then deflation should be put into effect so as to bring the higher-paid labour down to the dairy farm level. “This is the time for farmers to seek justice. We should invite those members who are competing at the elections to come along and meet the farmer's to discuss our problems,” concluded Mr Rushton. Production Per Cow “I have not met one farmer who is satisfied with the increase of Id per pound,” said Mr A. G. Alexander. “The main items which affect us are drop in production per cow and the labour reward. Our representatives were asked to look into the labour reward, and I feel sure they have only done this in pprt, and so long as they are our leaders we will never be in a better position. The production per cow has dropped to 2001 b. or 20 per cent. ■ from the figure on which the Govern- , ment says the farmer/should be paid. ' The farmer is actually working on ' piece work and when our production j drops our drops too. The mat- ; ter has been discussed by the New Zealand Dairy Board, the Dairy Councils, etc., but this 20 per cent, drop has never been thrashed out properly at these meetings by our representatimes. The whole trouble with our industry and reason why we don’t get justice is that we haven’t the right men to fight out case.” Mr Alexander went on to point out with figures the treatment dairy farmers in other countries, such as Australia and America were receiving, concluding that the New Zealand dairy farmers were the worst treated in the farming community of this country. Committee Of Investigation Mr C. Cates reminded; the meeting that the farmers should stand by the Committee of Investigation which they asked the Hon. J. G. Barclay to set up at the recent meeting in Morrinsville, but he Objected to the neglected manner in which the matter of labour charge had been treated* by this committee. Mr Rushton replied that Mr Bar T clay was able to say as he had said at the Morrinsville meeting that on every occasion but one he had come to an agreement with the farmers’ representatives; and that was in connection with wool. He had come to an agreement certainly, but the agreement had not been wholly satisfactory to the dairy farmer. “We have a case with the labour reward,” said Mr Cates, and I th.HK that the fall in production is due to lack of fertiliser and other war conditions, such as the removal of labour from farms. Therefore, I think that the farmers should be compensated from the War Expenses Account.” Dairy Costs Investigated

When ask<d if he thought the Investigation Committee, consisting of Messrs Hale, Marshall and Agar which

had been set up after the Morrinsville meeting with Mr Barclay, had gone into the matter of dairy costs fairly extensively, Mr F. W. Seifert, who had been reporting on the National Dairy Conference, said he considered they had. When explaining the manner in which the farmers’ representatives had been elected, he said he could not see any alteration being made in the dairy farmers’ representatives during the current season, as had been suggested by a few members.

A few words were spoken by Mr J. L. Faulkner, general manager of the Morrinsville Co-operative Dairy Company, which struck a point which had been previously overlooked by farmers attending Farmers’ Union meetings in Morrinsville. He reminded them that the Primary Products Marketing Act was no longer in operation and that the Government now had power to buy and sell any produce at its own price without any reference to its value. In view of this he considered that the dairy farmers’ representatives had done a fairly good job. “We must have faith in our representatives,” he said. “Having regard to all the hard circumstances against which they have had to battle, what they have managed to get for the farmer is quite a good effort.”

•He went on to say that the dairy farmer had never protested) against £4 10s per week for farm labour until he was going to be stabilised and he realised that he would be stabilised on that sum. He also pointed out that at the New Zealand Dairy x Conference in 1939, at which there were about 60 dairy representatives in attendance, it had been decided to defer the question of labour reward until after the war. It rather annoyed him, he continued, to hear men throughout New Zealand who had done nothing to help the farmers' at that time now pressing to get more. Adequate Reward Wanted

At the conclusion of this discussion the following resolution, moved by Messrs C. Cates and Johansen, was carried: "That this meeting accepts the finding of the 'Primary Production Council that Id covers the increase in certain farm and factory costs, but regrets it did not take into consideration farm labour costs and) fall in production due 40 war conditions, and requests the Dairy Industry Council to take action to obtain adequate allowance for farm labour rekard and fall in farm production due to war conditions.”