FARMERS AND INDUSTRIAL LEGISLATION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 2032, 20 December 1907, Page 8

FARMERS AND INDUSTRIAL LEGISLATION.

ADDRESS BY MR W. PRYOR. «

Employers in the manufacturing and trading industries have long recognised the need for organising, so as to show a united front to the workers’ unions. Farmers, however, seem loth to fall into line, and it was to bring before them the value of organised effort that Mr W. Pryor, secretary of the Employers’ Federation of New Zealand, addressed a gathering in Messrs Abraham and Williams’ sale rooms at Palmerston N. yesterday afternoon. The speaker, who was briefly introduced by Mr R. Abraham, dealt at first‘ with the changes in tno construction and application of labor legislation, since its inception. The Factories Act was one of the best measures ever placed on the statute book, so far as the intentions of its framers were concerned, but one change made at the close of last session of Parliament had taken away its right to that distinction. When the Act was before the Upper House in the closing days, a new clause was added, dealing with the wages of women and young persons and designed to prevent the sweating of such workers. The employers agreed with that, but the clause had been made to apply to all the factory employees in the Dominion, male as well as female. • Now, if any employees—whether it was a manager at £5 a week or a girl at 5s a week —did one day’s work they would have to be paid one week’s wages. That was neither in the interests of the employers or of the workers. It meant that during a slack season, instead of the employer dividing the work as equally as possible amongst all hands, he would be compelled to dismiss those employees for whom he could not find employment and a great many workers would be thrown on the streets instead of getting a share of the work. LEGISLATION IN A HURRY. Such legislation would not have passed either house, but for the great rush that took place towards the end of the session. He, as the employers’ representative, did his best to get the matter remedied in the Upper House, hut it was too late. The rush was on, and he was told that the Upper House was passing Bills, copies of which the members had never seen. He was not blaming Sir Joseph Ward, Mr Massey, or anybody individually; the blame rested on the whole of the members of Parliament. In the early weeks of the session members wasted the country’s time, and then towards the close, the most important legislation had to he passed without proper consideration. The matter was being dealt with by the Federation throughout the Dominion, and next session strong representations would he made to the Government and Parliament. If it was necessary, the members ought to stay in session for twelve months, and if £3OO was not sufficient—as to which he expressed no opinion—they should he paid more. They had no right to sweat members, but they had the right to demand that all legislation should he properly considered. FARMERS AND CONCILIATION ACT. Dealing with the Industrial and Conciliation Act, Mr Pryor said it was not the Act that was complained of, hut the abuse of it. Mr W. P. Reeves, in introducing the measure to the House, indicated clearly that its intention was to prevent strikes and provide a means of settling disputes when breaking point had been reached. But it could not be said that that was the main function of the Act at present. Not only was it not used as a means of preventing disputes, hut it was actually used as the means of creating industrial disputes. (Hear, hear.) But for the scandalous abuse of the Act, there would be very few industrial disputes. It was only necessary for the workers’ to file their demands, no matter how unreasonable, and the employers had to contest them. That was abusing the Act in a way that was never intended by the framers. Then, again, there was no question that it was meant to apply only to the manufacturing industries, and not to the farming and country industries—not to the farm laborers, shearers, or dairy workers, If the farmers’ unions had been awake to their own interests, they would have joined the Employers’ Federation, and by combined action would have prevented the Act being applied to the farming industries. However, it had been done, and the Act- would he made to apply more largely still in the future. All they could do now was to take steps to see that it was made to apply in the most legitimate manner, and that the awards made were reasonable and -workable. ORGANISATION IMPERATIVE.

Mr Pryor then went on to urge tho absolute necessity for organisation amongst the employers of farm, labor. The workers of the Dominion, from North' Cape to the Bluff, were organised, and that meant that the employers must organise also. (Hoar, hear). It could not be in the interests of the workers themselves or of the Dominion that there should be organisation only on one side. One mistake that the employers made at the outset was that they did not properly realise the importance of the industrial legislation, whereas workers started to organise straight away. The workers deserved what they obtained because they had been prepared to baud together and put their hands in their pockets when necessary. If the employers had been as wide awake to their own interests some of the present legislation and awards would never have been passed. The organisation of tho Employers’ Federation was now complete, so far as the manufacturing and trading industries were concerned, and as a result they had been able to secure a great deal, all their requests being received with consideration by Parliament. If in addition, the farming employers were joined with tho others, no Parliament dare refuse to take heed of their representations. Ho was sorry to notice, the other day, that the local Farmers’ Union could not seo its way to join the Palmerston Brandi of the Employers’ Association. The shearers’ and farm laborers’ disputes would he on the tanners soon, and the Federation could offer them almost perfect machinery for fighting the awards. Ho urged every farmer in tho district to join the Federation. Tho Federation could help them to secure the best awards it was possible to get, and help them to, keep the awards and assist them in every way. After quoting cases where the Federation had helped Individual cm-

plovers in connection with "breaches; Mr Pryor said there was always trouble ..when -an award ran out, no matter how _ favorable it was;, the unions always" demanded higher wages, shorter hours and more re-, strictive conditions. As an instance he quoted the case of the Wellington tramway workers who, for the past three years had been working under one of the best awards in the Dominion, How favorable it was, was; shown by the fact that if they were working under the Dunedin or Auckland award, there would be a saving of £6OOO a year to the ratepayers of * Wellington. That agreement had now run out, however, and the, union was coming forward with claims that would cost the ratepayers £7143 a year extra, if granted, thus making the difference between Wellington and Auckland or Dunedin, over £13,000 a year. . THE SHEARERS’ DEMANDS. Mr Pryor then referred to the shearers’ dispute, which will come before the Court at Mastertou in January. He said' he hoped .the farmers interested would absolutely refuse to discuss the matter before the Wellington Conciliation Board. The demands on the whole were very reasonable, but there were two or three points to which objection must be taken. There was no reason, however, why the parties should not come to an agreement, by means of a private and friendly conference. On one point the farmers must he firm: they must not agree to preference ,to unionists, which was one of the demands. He had been told by Mr Andrew Collins, of Wellington, that some employers in this district had agreed to preference to unionists, but if that were done, it would tie up operations altogether. When shearing was in full swing, and extra hands were wanted in a hurry, the preference clause would operate harshly, and often lead to the employment of incompetents, to the exclusion of good men who were on the spot. Then again, some of the farmers lived 50 or 60 miles from Palmerston, and how would they like to have to travel that disatnee in search of unionists, when capable nonunionists were ' available. He wanted the' farmers of the district to realise the need for organisation, and to refuse to submit to such conditions. It would be too late to act after the award was made; action must be taken now. (Applause.) They would soon have the farm laborers’ dispute on them also, and it was no use waiting until the last minute. They must organise aud prepare.

On the motion of Mr Balsillie, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Pryor for his address. Before leaving, Mr Pryor enrolled several farmers as members of the local' branch of the Employers’ Federation.