AGRICULTURAL MATTERS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9091, 16 May 1908, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL MATTERS

— + THE FARMEK AND THE ! « ABOUR QUESTION. THE UNSKILLED LABOURER. (Bjr Agricola). For yei.rtf the employers and employee* <>n stations and faTma in the Wairan.-pa and other distrfots in the North Jt-'l.md have agreed l amicably together, having no need of intervention by Conciliation and Arbitration ■ Co-urtn, and it is only recently that lav.y civcmnstances have arisen.lending to disturb these happy relations. , demands of" the Was , settled without much friction:; but , thery is a cfosd on the horifcbil>of industrial peace iiy the formation of a Union known and registered as" the ""Wnir;irapa Drovers'' and Shep* herda' Industrial JJnion,"" the j members of whicfr show? signs of discontent with their lot. It is; not intended to traverse the fairness-or unfairness of what they demand from their employers, as they may yet corae tfcefore the tribunals which, deal; witA such matters. Upon submitting their schedule of'' demands to> the employers? the latter would have none of. them, and' in ! doing so it may be' said they were : wanting in tact, a* ifc would have : been far preferable if a reasonable 1 ; ' compromise could; have been arrived ; at without having j&soßt to-the Arbi- ' (ration Court; which.now seems in- ' evitable, as a fair proportion of the : members of the Union do not seem disposed to assent to the employers'' decision, that "they ((theemployers).) would have uothing tode> with.the proposed agreement or a*ny Union,, unless compelled to do so' by an award," and even went so far as-to ] pass a resolution that they wouldi . only carry on further negotiations if the Union cancelled its. registration- , It is to be hoped that in the inter- ; ests of both sides better counsel will prevail, and that a reasonable and mutually advantageous agreement , will be come to. i

These remark's are only.Jby way of prelude to other matters' pertaining to labour. Recently there, has been a remit re membership before the Hew Zaaland Farmers' Union to the effect that farm labourers who have been employed ou a farm for three months immediately prior to admission, and who are not members of or contributors to any society, whose aims and objects are inimical to the farming community, should be eligible for membership. This proposal has received the assent of some branches of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, and wisely so, for if there was a proportion of the "best class*''of farm or station employees members of the Union it should go a long way towards smoothing differences, and arriving at nn amicable arrangement between master and man, wfa'ch would . obviate proceedings in the Courts. Though not against Unionism, this question has often presented itself to the writer's mind:—"Does the fact of employees forming Unions bring about a higher degree and standard of competency and skill among the workers?" If so there would be much reason for congratulation on the part of employers of labour. But on looking into the question it seems very doubtful if any such benefit actually obtains. Again, does preference to Unionists mean that an employer receives the advantage of a better and a more skilled worker?' If one is to believe the statements of farmers, this is not so. There is a cry throughout the length and breadth of the dominion that the standard of efficiency among farm labourers is far below the standard requisite and necessary to carry out farming pursuits 'successfully. This certainly is a very serious matter as affecting a very large portion of the community generally; for anything that militates against the productiveness of the lands of the dominion must be even so far-reaching as to react against the labourers themselves in the long run. The ordinary labourer is generally classed as unskilled; and rightly so under existing conditions; but a good farm and station hand is never really unskilled. It is quite the exception of late years to obtain the services of what is known as a "handy man" —a man who could fence, plough, sow, stack, thatch, do rough carpentering, and perform all and sundry the many jobs which are required to be performed on the land and among stock. The handy allround man has almost become ex tinct; yet in time 3 gone by there were numbers of such available, who could always command constant.employment at a good wage. It is asserted by farmers in the South Island that it is most difficult to procure competent ploughmen. There is also another point which attracts attention when dealing with this matter, which is that there is a. "spirit of unrest " among farm and station employees—that thsy, speaking generally, will not stop for any length of time with their employers, often not .longer than two or three months. This is a most undesirable state of affairs, and quite against the farmers' interest in many obvious ways. So acute is the dearth of competent farm hands becoming, that settlers through the medium of their Unions are urging the Government to establish a regular system of immigration, so as to obtain a supply from the United Kingdom. The action of the employers in the cities in weeding out and discarding old or the least competent craftsmen and mechanics, in consequence of tho "minimum wage," Ira 3 turned loose a number of men quite uusuited to the requirements of the farmer. The fariner would not be adverse to an increased wage if he could obtain a return from a better and more competent class of labourer. In obtaining labour from Great Britain the point is to get immigrants of the right stamp. Dr. Chappie, in addressing the electors at Lawrence recently, struck th« right key note when he stated tnat the class wanted "are farmers and farm hands of the sturdy agricultural class." Some of the best and most successful farmers in the dominion at the present day have risen from the ranks of such men as Dr. Chappie mentions. Years~ago there were many men of the stamp assisted to come to New Zealand, either by the then Provincial Governments or by friends. It ivas generally found that the ideal workman was one who had been brought up and schooled on "small

farms" in the Old Land—men who

had been taught to tnrn their hands to any and every oennpatioh in tilling land, and the care of animals). It is well-known that farmers complain bitterly, and not without reason, of the wantof "tbotjghtfulness" in the work performed by the average labourer of New Zealand birib, and this is very "noticeable in the younger men. There is what might be de scribed as "an anything-witl-do-sort-of-3tyle" about them, and a lack of interest in doing work well, which is not productive of good reaialts to the farmer.