THE SHEARERS' DISPUTE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 88, 7 January 1908, Page 2

THE SHEARERS' DISPUTE.

, INTEREST SPREADINC.* \ , MORE FARMERS' MEETINGS HELD,< Active .interest (writes our- Feilding con - respondent) ib now: boing felt . amongst' ■pastoralists throughout- our i the % ■ , demands of .tho Shearers!: Union, aijd -meet-' -•• •'";• ii)gs of branches;of . the :Farmers' Union aro : being held;everywhere; -i A meeting was held a 6 :Kimbdltoui6n'Sat- v- i ! - urday, night to- consider the best'course'to . be ta'icn in connection, with tho shearers' dispute, and;.was'largely attended. .^;;'- ''.". 1 Mr. Crabb, chairman of the local branch - ' of tlio Farmers' 'Union, detailed the stops taken by ( the~ Farmers' Union Executive, and theireasons.,Avhicli_ aotuaM them in dccliitilig • - '* to appear before tho' Conciliation Board. ■> General - satisfaction 0 was - expressed by : those present with. what'; had 'Already been- : " : done, and H was' decided to approve the levy : ' of os. l per 100 sheep proposed by- the Execu-; : tive, and to.sign,the forms authorising. v tha - Union's representative to i appear -before -the Arbitration Courb ' -Mcsirk. NosdalG," Par—- • 1 sons, Fowler, Morton, -llay and the ' chairman;. (Mr.Crabb)"' and ', secretary(Mr. v 1 :: Rentoul), wpro appointed to wait upon sheep- " .owners .not.present at the meeting to obtaia - then authorisations and collect subscription! 1 . for the case. -S < HALCOMBE'S MEETING. ■ ' ' :;V.■ : ' r -'.-:u» i-,v:: ' "- THE VOICE OF THE SMALL * , At meeting,; Mr.vMornß6a;' ."' v - .: .chairman of tho'local branch of :tho'Farmers-' v-' . Union; -, and--a member' of •• tho .New Zealand i - v; ' Executive, /presided. : He explained that the - , meetiug had been called at the instanoo^of: - - ,: the Executive of-the-Union, as .they had'.at - . , , last comb to the-concluaion that it was rie- ,; T : : v' ; cessary to do something to .meet the case formulat-cd by the men. Personally; he did ' not:' think - that .the present'; Case Was a very- j " CseriOTs i ohe t ".bui , they;miftt*remember;thatvittM''f. , was.-the i 't-hin edgo-.of;th'<o. r wedge..'-;So'^'far';.-MV-iY ' , j thp;'farmers : 'were'cqhd*erh'^,-':'they; ; ini^lit : .put-i:.v:.V [' up' with- disabilities: in the-claim, but\if . the dispute were ext-endod-to farm labourers . .gorierally the be' sdnousl.^Ha^H-' .supported'.-' tho ; auggestiori-:,. that : farmers -.; ;should.subscribe to'a fund to provide:for an:. ; officient defence, and so- enable their case to v -x ■- be . put before the Arbitration Court m the \ . , j best'iibssible manner. . . \. I.i ; Mr. Al'Ilroy: remarked that'fsome'.'ofthe ~ ; ( 1 dbma'i'ids seemed pretty Strong."' • W'v. v-r'-' '■; - ' Mr. 0. Pleasants wTiat the: Execu- ;' tivo iricant'by saying that'the rat-o coiild not •' -fairly be-'tho samp for''all districts.;' ': ::.; 1 v >V-'' •; i -The-,-Chairman ; replied;''-'.that'-''it--.was "riot Jj'-- . thought that those with large sheds and . . '■ every convenience for shearing, should pay as- - [■ highly as farmers m the back-blocks, wlioso ; ' places wore difficult of access and; who'had . only a few sheep. '■ Mr. ;o.' Pleasants-'asked if: it meant that ! those ..with machiiies.sh'o'uld pay. less than'-wais' paid to hand shearers.- - ;• , '• ; Tho-Chairman.said .that probably..-,was-tho. :• r intention.- It was; oontended that mfcn who ■' shcared by machine had ilot only less trouble "■ J', 'with their'tools,; buF that'',their,:work was : ;r ; easier., , J Mr. 0. Pleasants; said it really 'meant that they wanted to handicap,thojsmall farmer. ' ! Tho Chairman admitted that it would work .. * 1 out, that wa)*;;,( He had drawn..-the attention'''' » ; 'of' tho the qiies-;; : : . < | tion,.'but; of' : the big man fori'hhnseffijd^-.jV-'te 1 Mr.-0. Eleasarits said that it appeared to" ' him that ,the. whoJo-'-.thing^-''affectea.'ftHe'.blgVvi'-:--lnoir inoi'Q -than the-small, farmer. . He : re- : • rmombered'-tliat oue. year at tho Pohoriui he" ; -' -had to keep.-the'.shflarers for. , six'weeks, ; 6wing"' , - r c' ; to the-,,-.feather jpreventing shearingV.ojMra-, : . \ :tionß,;-.ajjd^that;, was'rtfj.dead loss; to-tiiiri: /; ,'Ho| ha.d'.-a'-' strong,/objection 'to/the.clauso;; ,-, , pWn4'lpiipfefeiiee'A,t9 i]Dnidnistßi/".i Of courso;' > , no had',ari'.idea .that:,thp evil iwoilld;.oure it-: 1 1 J: /- self,. The steamers.'were bringing-hundreds V,-; ' / of assisted, jin'migraritsitb the. Dominion); arid • ■ in a year'or.twp the supply' of labour/would <,'• ' eiisily' be equal'to-theVdemand.•• . ; The Chairmaiii'.LThat theory is all- very ;. woll, but rio'one/knows 'the harm which might bo dono till things .right themselves.' 1 Mr.; M'Elroy . remarked, that labour- was ■ [: never so hard to get as at'the. present time.: ■ Mr. 0. Pleasants objected also, to the pre- ■ ' ferenco clause on principle, : and if it came [ to a question of compulsion iu regard to, . Unionists, ho would be prepared to shear his ; 1100 sheep himself sooner than submit to the ' •' proposal. I : Tho Chairman observed that it appeared' ' that the only trouble in'the district _ , ;from ff feW' men near HuhtorvilleV'arid;'it was"a hard tiling that tlie/shearers in the .whole : provincial district should bp ruled by a. few-: ' -men at Hunter,ville." ! " Mr. M'Elroy- did not- /know '..wfijr the l~ Farmers' Union-had; taken up'the-.disputo - at. all. Ai good-\many .in the Halcombo. di|-.. trict:'had held aloof from the/Unionrapd .it . was-not right tliat. the. Union should, fight this matter for their benefit.. - , ' ■ ■ Tho Chairman out f that the : Union's-funds :were not being used in - the case at 'a11,'.-but that all'exponses ;would be - ~ met by a levy on the fariners,affected, the-,, amount suggested being'os. per, 10OO'sheep. ; The dispute was - bringing a large number of lncniboi^'' to the Union,: and • he jioticpd ' that in New 'Plymouth ■ 100; had /i;. ... joined in ono day. It/had been proposed at ' -. the meeting of the executive to'levy a; con-- . • . , , tributioii, on tho owners of cows,; but : ho had ' ; opposed that on the ground:that the dairy :■. - faimors would sooii have'to'faco a'case of- ' their own. One advantage of fighting ■ the : presont disputo would bo that t*ey would bo. well prepared for tlio next time. >Thoy could • • ■ not Be'represented'by, : '.a lawyer, although it would bo 'advisable; to - have the assistance of a lawyer to put them' up to the legal, . 'points. ~ ; Mr. Pirani suggested that the Arbitration' Court should, be asked :to apply the. award only to thoso farniers having over 2500 sheep. ' . ~ ' The Chairman thought it would be a splendid idea; as it would remove many com-' ' ■; plications. ' •. '• It was decided to bring the point before ■'j the executive of the Union, with, a' view: to '~ •. representations being made, when the case / comes on. .., ; Sir. Callaghan said that 'the farmers .lie . knew did not object to the rate in the shearers' demands. In'his own case-lie had told tho men that lie would pay them extra; if •, they made a real good job of the work j and ' as they did so, ho paid them 225. 6d. per' 100, and found. _ ; .-'The-.Chairman-said lie had no objection to tho price demanded —it was the, conditions ho took exception to. ' Mr. Callaghan said that certainly thoy should never agree to tho preference clause. Sir. F. Pleasants said that in some places tlio big men wero only paying 16s. Ba. per 100, and he put the agitation down to that.a good deal. Mr. M'Elroy. was sure that'the big men - had brought about all this trouble; Tho Chairman said' that tho big men argued that, owing to tlio accommodation and facilities for quick work .they provided.• it paid shearers to work for less. He hadtold one big farmer at the executive mooting of tho Union that ho and four others were responsible for'the whole dispute. < Mr.- F. Pleasants Considered that the tuckering clauso was a bad one. It meant ■ that a good shearer had to pay £1 .a week for his food, while, a'poor ono only paid ss, Ho thought they should ask for a uniform charge of 14s. a week fpr food. ; . Eventually it was decided that Messrs. Morrison and F. Pleasants should represent the farmers of tho district at a special meet- ' ing of delegates to bo held to consider the position. The Chairman stated that the executive of the Farmers' Union had decided tbat they would not ongage ii lawyer to advise them. . .Jlr., M'Elroy said that if tlie farmorswero left to themselves they would'make a muddle of it. He wanted to move that it -be an instruction, to the .executive -to ongage-Mr<' '' ! v

Pryor,-'but. the Chairman; said that such a t resolution would bo of no use. . ; •

It was .resolved that the delegates be givon power to inform the oxecutivo that the farmors in tho Halcombo district would assist with funds, as required. . FEILDING FARMERS TO MEET. ... Members of the Foilding branch of the Farmers' r Union... (telegraphs our Foilding -eoi respondent) arb' to meet next Friday, to consider the demands of tho {Shearers' Union. \ •