COUNTRY LABOUR : ITS ORGANISATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 11

COUNTRY LABOUR : ITS ORGANISATION.

! ___^_— ADDRESS BY MR A. R. BARCLAY. At" Milton, on the 19th instant, under the auti'ices of the Otago Agricultural and General Labourers' Un ; on, Mr A. R. Barolay, M.P., delivered an address under the above title. He began by quoting revenue returns showing that the production of the Dominion for fche year was reckoned at £4-1,000. 000— 0r £4-1 per head for every *wan, woman, and child in New Zeala-nd. Wihat interested him chiefly was tha.t of this total more than half was credited to fche agrieu-itural and pastoral industries. Somewhere about 100,000 were engaged in (those industries, so that these people produced £22,000,000 worth last year, which worked out ait the rate of £220 per head of the people so engaged. If an\one said the agricultural worker received £220, or even £120 per annum he would doubt the accuracy of such statement. The question wes v.a.ebher the workers were receiving anything near their fair sha-re of this enormous sum. His impression was that there «ao considerable room for improvement in the remuneration paid to country workers. However, he ■would leave this matter to those who were jn actual touch with those working in the district. If there was any room for improvement it was on!? to be gained by united action ; on that there need not he the slightest doubt. One result of the Ganterbuiy labourers' agitation had resulted in the Agricultural Workers' Accommodation Bill being placed on the Statute Book last session. To any person who had given any attention to this subject k was noticeable j tihat unorganised trades were always the ( ■worst paid. This faot was borne out by returns from various Governments, whilst in , ■the largest organisations tihere were always ' to be found the beat workers and the most | satisfactory resuLts were obtained. New t Zealand had been referred to as God's Own Country, and that in no other counliy was the working man so well off. He ihoped this was true ; they were a long wav ahead of some of the older countries, but they should not imagine for an instant that poverty was a.n unknown thing in New Zea.'and — especially in the cities. Let the parliamentarians and others who boom the country say what they pleased there was a. iarge expenditure by the Charitalble Aid Board's and Benevolent Institutions, which did not tell a satisfactory or ha.ppy tale. Mr Rarc'av then read a quotation from Mr Ackrov<l, & visitor, wiho stated that he i (had visited slumland in many countries, ; but ne\er had met people living in suoh | •hovels as in this God's Own Country. New • Zealanders prided themselves they were | grea^tly superior to older countries — they j had not their miseries deiptih of degrada- i *ion, or poverty. Visitors to the Old Coun- | try often expressed their surprise at the j extremes of wealth and poverty existent ' there. He was confident that this Dominion ] was on its wa\ to the saome condition of | affaire. WQia.t was there to effectually j oheet this downward path? Some said , wa-ges would not go down to the level j of other countries, and referred to the Arbitration Court, which' wou'd keep price a-t a fair level. The Arbitration Court might prevent sweating conditions, but it did not piw ide work for the unemployed men. nor make arrangements for the maintenance of their unfortunate | families. Mr Barclay then spoke on the , unemployed question ; one-third of the workers in the United States were out of J work, and were talking of marching to j Washington to endeavour to force the i Government to prcn ide employment. A similar condition prevailed in England, where 1000 unemployed commenced a inarch from Manchester to London, but i only a few arrived, the remainder having been compelled to retire owing to weakness from lack of food rather than from weakness of spirit. Such was the state of affairs in these countries, and yet they i had done nothing to pree\nt such in New . Zealand. True, they had old-age pensions J but these were only to be obtained after | a certain age was reached. Nothing had been done to prevent an armj of unem- ' ployed rising amongst them, or to pre 1 . ent ' insane competition for work at wages j which would only provide food. In Eng- | land not 4 per cent, loft behind them '£100. one out of five in London die in the workhouse, hospital. or lunatic asylum, 939 out of e-iery 1000 die without leaving property worth speaking about, | yet there was no doubt the wealth was created by the labours of these, people. > It was insane in face of these facts to say j there was no necessity for unioniem. He quoted the statement of a leading English political writer to the effect that the j workers were at the mercy of employers. ! and were often compelled to submit or j starve; also a similar statement by Mr Frederick Harrison. Mr Coghlan, the celebrated JCew South Wales statistician. ' stated that whereas wage 6in New Zealand had risen 8^ per cent, in 15 years, meat ' had gone up 100 per cent., house rent 25 ' to 50 per cent., and other it-ems 30 to 50 per cent. Workers were not rcceiwnfr the share of the wealth which they should by their productive and creative powers, ( and it was time they looked into this matter, and made proper pro\ i«ion for the ' upkeep of their offspring;. Agricultural labourers were the least organi-eel body in England, and were the worst paid, receiv- , ing only 10s to 12s per week and keep themselves Tins was not a nice pictuie. but as long as unrestricted competition and cutting prices was allowed in this country thov would go back to tho condition of affairs which many of their forefather* had loft the Old Country to avoid. Tho fir<=t step to securing bet cor conditions was united action : let the bar- i gains be of a collccthe nature, mae'e b\ . the unions, and there would be impio\oment in many directions. Employers had , learnt thi« lesson, and formed their own unions. All knew the power and influence ' of the Farmers' Union ; by its cohesion, its ' strength, and the ability of its leaders, that , union had become a great power in this I country If the men c'id not unite thov 4» would get left behind. Some people j at erred that it was the law of nature and | ordained by Providence that the weakest I mu=t so to the wall and be trampled urjon in the strugrele for existence People used to say that slavery was a Divine institution. _yef if was abolished. There was one ( method by which they misht save themselves and their country. He then referred to the keen and insane competition between the different clasfes of manufacturers, jrrocews. etc. Why nor do away with surh competition, and bring everything under State contro'. The State had at present Control of railway*, post and telegraph de-

partments, advances to settlors, etc. There were great possibilities of extension in such a direction. The public would secure a better article at a cheaper cost. Under the present system of competition the employers had to keep down the wages list, I but the State could carry on without any expectation of large profits, and be satisfied with a small return from any industry. He urged a-ny workers who were not members of a union to join at once. They shared in ( any advantage gained by its exertions, and it was selfish, unmanly, and j un-Britrsh to remain outside the ranks | when others were working for them. Mr Barclay then jeferred to Socialism. Sir .1. • G. Ward and Mr Massev had condemned it, and said it was dangerous, and to be avoided, but ho thought, these gentlemen j had not given tho matter serious considevaj ion. Swci&lism was purely a business mo\cI ment. It was marvpllous the strides it had made of late years. and was gaining rapidly. He advised his hearers to make , themselves acquainted with the principles of those who were advocating this movei ment. — Bruce Herald.