Farmers and The Arbitration Act

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 160, 27 September 1927, Page 9

Farmers and The Arbitration Act

AMENDMENTS FAVOURED REPRESENTATIVE OPINIONS ONLY in a modified form do representative opinion agree with Mr. J. S. Jessep, chairman of the Meat Producers’ Board, who referred recently to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration law as “this d Act/” and laid at its door all the farmers’ ills. Mr. E. A. Robinson, secretary of the Farmers’ Union, couldn’t agree with Mr. Jessep’s statement. “The abolition of the court without anything in its place would lead to chaos,” he said. “That is the opinion of the Farmers’ Union in the Auckland Province, and it is practically unanimously upheld among the farmers in the Dominion. “But we are in favour of amendments to the Act until something can be put in its place.” The farmers’ quarrel with the Arbitration system was that they, in the last resbrt, had to pay the uneconomic wages. On that point the farmers must disagree with the labour Party. “But we consider,” concluded Mr. Robinson, “that if we don’t get direct farming representation in Parliament, apart from the present parties, the tendency will be to drive the farmer willy-nilly into the , arms of the Labour Party.” “We feel that the court is necessary,” said Mr. A. G. Lunn, president of the Chamber of Commerce. “We couldn’t go back to the bad old days.” But where the court may have erred was in sending th€> wage level up. to an uneconomic level. According to Mr. Lunn there is no question that the farmer bore the burden, for his markets could not be protected. Protection and high wages would make the country impossible to live in. The> might even make it impossible to die in by making funeral services so dear. IMMIGRATION BLAMED “It is a stupid statement to say the least *of it.” Mr. G. C. Stove, secretary of the Auckland Labour Party, pointed to the inrush of immigrants as a major cause of unemployment. Mr. Jessep’s statement was just in keeping with the policy of the Meat Producers’ Board and every association of employers. It was aimed at the wages and standards of living of the workers by removing such protection of wages and conditions of labour as the Arbitration Court gave. If the Act were removed restrictions on the workers’ right to use their economic powers in bargaining for wages must also be removed.