FARMERS’ UNION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 June 1938, Page 3

FARMERS’ UNION

COMPULSORY MEMBERSHIP.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE REJECTS REMIT.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, June 11.

Fearing that new members brought into the Farmers’ Union by compulsory measures might be numerically strong enough to outvote the present membership, the Southland Provincial Conference' of the Farmers’ Union yesterday defeated a remit that compulsory unionism be adopted by the union.

While dependent industries had compulsory unionism there was no danger in compulsory unionism. Rather danger lay in control of the unions, stated G. Clearwater. If the powers of union secretaries were kept within bounds there would be an improvement in the control of the Labour unions.

Opposition to the remit was voiced by Mr A. W. Stevens, 'who said that compulsion would bring into the Farmers’ Union men who might be undesirable as members. Some of the Labour unions now felt that compulsory unionism had its drawbacks, in that they could not exclude a certain class of member who might not be entirely in sympathy with their aims. If membership of the Farmers’ Union were made compulsory, said Mr W. H. Ward, it might be that those made members by cpmpulsion would be able to outvote the present membership. Such had been the experience with Labour unions, the membership of which had increased through compulsion from 80,000 to 200,000.