PAPERSPAST

THE UNORGANISED SECTION

Now tbafc the shearing season liaa

itarted memberg are urged to suggee* $o til'B "unorganised sections of the industry the advisibality of- throwing in their lot with the New Zealand Workers' Union.. Two of t'ie<e sections —tho experts and the wool dasser.s*-may be reached during th© nest three or four months, aud every endeavour phould be made among them to popularise Unionist principles. There is room for them in th* New Zeul'iid Workers' Uncivil uiiu. zke mean 3*v ade^-ai.':- ade^-ai.':,-iy dealing with their cite. With respect to the experts it may be stated that the demands compiled By the Workers* "Onion Conference and reoefctly plaoed before the employers 'embodied proposals relating to their J conditions, bnt owing to the fact that tbe constitution of the SheareTs and Slied Hands' Union (which conducted the negotiations) did not provide for the membership of e xperts it was found impossible to Include, them in the agreement. Tc got an award for experts ifc is , therefor© necessary to organise t&ein as a Uhiou registered under the Arbitration Act, and the New Zealand Workers' Union, affords the medium through which this can. be done. All that' the expert need to is to take his ticket iv the Workers' Union, and leave the rest to its ofii:-«ial*. Arbitration Unions of experts in each industrial district will be Brealed from their 'membership in the Workers" Union, and they will he incited, by remit to the Workers' Union annual conference t« draft the demands that ia their opinion should apply to their particular occupation, '.lite reason for this course is that miy attempt ©Hi xhe part of experts to organise in a. sBQAII body apart from the Workers' Union probably will fail, owing to the difficulty of reaching comparatively few men spread over so largo vii arcsi of country. Their only tuipe< is by joint action with the hshc-nre'ra and shed hands. The folly of trying to build up inftnitesraal separate organisation* in the rural districts is exemplilied in the experience of the of tier section mentioned—tlie e wool eJassers. Last year the Workers' Union carried out considerable agitation among the- ,,, ' workers and isucoeeded in oonvinc-i ug some oJ' iliem of the wisdom of organisation. Thesa gathered together iv C'hristci'ureh ab the end 01 the season, and, at fur hearing a deputation from Ih* 'Workers' Union in i'avoni of tilt- policy a-! proposed abov+> for tlio .experts, decided to form thi-ir own Union anil to tun•ider amalgamation later ..in. Tins little union has never been heard of einco, and the. Workers' Union has omiclndfd that it gave up the chnst (ho monient ir it< inability to finance o.ii effort !° oryanive thw linge area aver wiiieh. wool work, and to Attend efficiently to the detail work of a Union confronted by tlu/n-auds of employer.- , . Had the fiitvterbviry -wool cla*«Prj» ai.'cepied Uw.' advice 'nf tho Woi-ksr*' depniaiion a y-onr n:, r o theJr organisation wt.nld now havo )je<.i. firmly estftblislU'd, and th*ro i« evti.v likeliiio.jd liiiiL this M-nson conditions wi.'ii'ul iia," lit'f.'n rtgnlaLiid by an agreement or an award of 1 ho c'onrr. uf Arbitration. As it i-> ihcy nni<r itarL »ll over again. Th t , poinr.. tlion. to b# made by monibers with the w0,,l 'jjassera is, as wiHi tho expfrt.-?, that small Unions cannot hopo to possess the 'resources necessary to solve tho problems of rural workers* organisation, and that they should tlipreforo act tltrbugli the- .New Zealand Workers' Union. Thi.s Uniim has tho oißce etaff and tho reiiuisilo organisers it can- collect evidence and t-hrougii Th> Worker keep in touch witli vii its member*, and in all intents nr.d purposes it is- l-ecogniwcd by tho shep.p owners as th<j body witty which tliey might aa well negotiate. Thero remain tbe crutcliers. With these men the problem of organisation is practically lion-esistent. Most of :hem are already of the Workers' Union, and their conditions an? not fixed only because the "Union so far has sought to contain their conditions within the shearers and shed hands' agreement—a policy with which the employers wjll not concur. Tho employers evidently prefer a separate Award for crutchers, and before twelve months nre over it is certain that they will receive satisfaction. In each industrial district crutchers' Unions will be formed and steps taken to regulate their work by an Arbitration Court award. As' the emtehers will soon be in the shearing sheds their notice is drawn to this intimation, and they are invited to give it every consideration. Once the- experts and wool olassers join the Workers' Union In substantial numbers tho organisation of the shearing industry will nonr completion, and; it will be greatly ( to th© credit of members' if this result is brougii-fc about' by their agitation this season. Every member has a strong inducement to do iis best. The greater the membership the. more power, and tho mor,-, power the mGre easily will progress be> eftected.

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