“ABSOLUTE BLUFF”

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 303, 16 September 1921, Page 6

“ABSOLUTE BLUFF”

FARMERS UNCONCERNED OVER SHEARERS’ THREAT PREPARING TO DO THE WORK THEMSELVES LABOUR AVAILABLE AT AWARD RATES « “An absolute bluff” is the term used by the secretary of the Hawke's Bay Sheepowners’ Union when referring io ihe advice given to shearers to refrain from accepting engagements this season under the reduced rates. , By Telegraph —Press Association. Napier, September 15. In conversation with a reporter today, Mr.'W. C. Prime, secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Sheepowners' Union, gave an indication of the feelings of fanners in this district in reference to the advice ■of the executive of the Nexv Zealand Workers’ Union to ehearers and shed hands to refrain from making engagements under th% Arbitration Court’s recent award. “In our opinion,” said Mr. Prime, “this threat js an absolute bluff. In the first place it is intended to throw dust in the eyes of the public by trying to make them think that the shearers yare being ill-used and asked to accept ridicuously low rates of pay, whereas the great majority of the men realise that the rates are fully equivalent to those earned by other workers, and higher than many of those engaged in the industry can stand. As a matter of fact, we know that the great majority of ehearers—that is, actual workers, nrjt officials of the union—are more than satisfied with the award rates. In many parts of this district shearers are already anxiously looking for work, and have expressed themselves as perfectly willing t<j. go ahead at award rates. “If Mr. Grnyndler’s threat were intended seriously, all I can say is that he and the officials of the union were very ill-advised in their own interests. Their attempt to hold up shearing cannot succeed, both for the reason already mentioned and by reasop of -the fact that co many'farmers, on account of the financial stringency, arc forced to do their own shearing. .Mr. Grnyndler’s threat will probably be the means of inother farmers, who are not actually forced to do their own shearing, to make arrangements now to jdo so. The danger to Mr. Grnyndler’s union lies in tho their action will induce many who otherwise would have employed shearers to do the work themselves. Quite a number of y o'ting farmers, particularly among coldier-settlers, who have not thought of doing their own shearing because it is a generally-accept-ed custom to employ shearers, if they find they can get alopg without shearers once xvill have learned to do the xvork themselves and in future seasons will continue to do so.”

Mr. Grayndler .is making a lot of the fact that xvool prices sho.xv a tendency to rise. He quite ■ overlooks the facl that the rises are comparatively small percentages, but even though the rise were as much as 50 per cent, that would not bring the prices up to half what they were during the commandeer, ox- up to a payable level. For instance. 50 per cent, on 4d. only brings the price to 6d., whereas the commandeer price xvas probably Is. 3d. Tho statement that tho farmers- cannot afford to have shearing held up for n fortnight end that they would capitulate in a month, is also wide of tho mark. Ex-en if delay were likely at the present time it would not matter. * There js no desperate hurry to get wool away to the sales on account of the xurnlus already on hand, and with the market rising a little delay might be .to the farmers’ advantage. THE NEW~AWARD APPLIES. TO THE WHOLE DOMINION In a lettex- which appeared in This Dominion on Wednesday, thti genera] secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union (Mr. C. Grayndler) said he had no intimation that the new shearers’ award applied to any other district than Wellington, and that it was more than possible thjat “the 1919 award will apply to all th oxo industrial districts where the present award is not applicable." There' is reliable authority for the statement that Mr. Grnyndler’s x-iew of (his matter is erroneous. The now shearers’ award for the Wellington district is one of a series of awards framed in identical terms for the various districts \of the- Dominion, and it is understood that the awards for districts other than Wellington xvill be filed as soon as a sufficient number of copies has been typed.