N.Z. FARMERS' UNION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 147, 18 December 1911, Page 4

N.Z. FARMERS' UNION

TARANAKI EXECUTIVE MEETINU, A meeting of the Taranaki Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union was held on Thursday. Present: Messrs J. W. Jones (president), E. Lambie, S. For-' syth, J. Thomson, J. Swindlehurst and R. Dunn.

THE LABOR QUESTION. The Canterbury provincial secretary forwarded a copy of a letter addressed to him by the secretary of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Laborers' Union, stating that the only wages offered in Taranaki were 2s Od per week for the first year and 10s for the second. The secretary of the Laborers' Union appeared to have taken umbrage at the action of the Executive in regard to its having approved of a scheme to get lads from Home.

Mr. Sim (provincial secretary) stated that he had replied to the letter to the effect that he was not aware of any boys or men who had been brought to New Zealand under any assisted immigration scheme of recent years having come to Taranaki. The statement in the letter of the secretary of the Canterbury Agri- ' cnltural and Pastoral Laborers' Union about the Taranaki Executive having a scheme for immigration was not quito correct. The Executive had, however; during the last three years, passed two resolutions in reference to schemes for immigration: (1 That the Dominion Executive be informed that there was a good demand in> Taranaki for farm laborers and domestic servants at good wages; (2) that the Government be asked to encourage some scheme, such as Mr. Sedgwick's, whereby suitable youths could be helped to come from Great Britain to New Zealand.

The president ,in moving that the secretary's action in replying to the letteV be endorsed, said the Taranaki Executive had suported Mr. Sedgwick's scheme, not because we wished to get cheap labor, but because we wished to get, suitable labor. There was a great dearth of labor in Taranaki, which was shown by the fact that as much as £2 5s was being advertised as the pay for farm laborers. Directly, when the hay season commenced, farmers would be unable to get labor to assist them in their operations. He claimed that the men in Taranaki were earning good' money, and that some of theni, in addition to this, were receiving a fair proportion of the profits made on the farm. The farmers had never tried to beat the men down in their wages. The men, with a very few exceptions, were satisfied with wha£ they were getting and Were working amicably with the farmers, and the farmers were doing the same by the men. (Hear, hear). The men >in Taranaki were as a rule industrious, and saved enough money out of their wages to enable them subsequently to either go share-milking' or get together a small herd for themselves. The exectuive had approved a scheme whereby suitable boys could be brought out, for the reason mainly that the best men were now going on their own. And there must of necessity be a steady filling up to enable the work of the farms to be carried on. The boys in Taranaki were not taking to the land sufficiently to allow of the supply of labor being kept going, and for this reason the executive had approved of a scheme to stay this dearth of labor. In consequence of tlte want of labor there must be thousands of pounds of stuff wasting because it could never be handled. Taranaki had never brought down the wages, nor had it ever done anything to harass the working men in the district. Mr. Dunn seconded the motion. He thought the president might have added that there was plenty of work going in Taranaki.

In supporting the resolution Mr. Lambie said there was one point which was overlooked by the labor unions, and that was that there was a surplus of labor in the Old Country, and there were many young men there who wished to come to New Zealand, and if there were any grit in these young fellows it was not long before they made their mark here, and in a few years would be able to go on their own. He criticised the actions of the labor unions as inhuman in trying to prevent their fellow men in the overpopulated portions of the world from earning a living in a new country, where labor was so much needed. The resolution was carried. LAND AND ESTATE AGENCY. It was resolved that the name of the agency be the Taranaki Farmers' Union Land and Estate Agency, and that it be opened forthwith. It was also resolved that the provincial secretary (Mr. J. B. Sim) be appointed chief agent. The question of appointing a board of directors and the question of bonds were held over till next meeting. This completed the business of the meeting.—Star,