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Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, Volume 1, Issue 26, 20 September 1901, Page 2

The trade Unions have talc-n alaim at the formation of the flour trust in the south and have demanded legislation for its suppression. They aie served with a little of their own sauce, and judging by the way they tate it, the seasoning is not to their likirg. That such a combination among employers was to be reasonably expected, they might have easily seen; for it has been brought about by the demands of 1 .bour a< much as by competition among the millers themselves. The law having fixed wagss and hours of labour, masters in self defence were compelled to raise the price of their products, and so the recoil is felt by the very men who were instrumental in producing- those conditions If all trus's are to he abolished, let us be logical and wipe out the labour trusts as well, for the masters can equal—nay, wish more— justice point out the hardships inflicted by th"! unions, hardships which are not confined to to the flour only, but which are inflicted upon all branches ofindustry. Sir J. G; Ward exultajttly pointed t> the fact that twent}' two million sterling weie deposited in the various banks. To us it is a matte of profound regret (if siu'b is the cas c) that such a large sum should be withdrawn from the legitimate channels of trade, where it could be distributed with advant-.ge to the wage earners, and still greater advantage to the capitalists who would then get better interest than they can possibly get from any financial institution. However a trust is being formed which should be a power of good in the land—one which shoulfl gave been formed years ago, and which would have prevented a great deal of the wild-cut legislation. We meau the Farmers' union, which though late in the field, may yet play an important part in saving the country from disaster* —Northern ydvocate.