SHEPHERDS AND MUSTERERS

Evening Star, Issue 17118, 11 August 1919, Page 8

SHEPHERDS AND MUSTERERS

A meeting of the Ota-go and Southland Shepherds., Musterers, and Drovers' Union was held in the Trades Hall on Saturday night: Mr J. EL MaoManus (president of te Shepherds' Union) occupied the chair. Mr A. Cook (president of the New Zealand Workers' Union), the new name of the Agricultural and Pastoral Workers' Union, in tracing the events that led up to_ the formation of the union, said that originally there were many isolated unions of a sectional nature, embracing separate occupations, and limited in scope to districts connected with the agricultural and pastoral industry. Because of the incapacity of such forms of unionism to be of benefit and meet on even terms the great national organisations of pastoralms, it was decided to amalgamate and form one Agricultural and Pastoral Workers' Union. Although they took over the debts of the old unions, tho first year finished up with a credit balance of £ls 9s 4d. Last year they had £1,450 of -assets ove.r liabilities. Thev now had four organisers in the field, going' around farms and .stations. They wanted .the' town worker* to understand that the successful organisation of country workors alone could make possible the improvements which the city workers sought. Mr Cook described the conditions which still existed because of tho failure of the Government to administer- the Hut Accommodation Act. He assorted that tho great loss of Maori lives through influenza on the East "Coast in the North Island was largely .aggravated by the bad accommodation." The man who worked in a woolshed during the shearing season was offered at the recent conference between the workers and tho emplcyers only £2 15s a week. The employers refused to discuss the demands clause by el&use—an unprecedented course at a conference. He asked the public, who knew the prices they paid for agricultural and pastoral products, if thoy blamed the shearers for refusing to accf.pt engagement until the shed hands got a square deal. The Canterbury squatters had oitedi the shearers intd shed lisukU before the Arbitration Court He urged shearers to refrain, from engaging until after that case came'off. In Australia the A.W.U., with one registration, was able, by peaceful and constitutional menus, to redress grievances and secure an award covering a. continent. Because, of thie that one big union secured awards for a multiplicity of occupations connected with country work, and maintained industrial peace. Strife in this countvy was due to a, defective arbitration system and tho placing of stumbling blocks in the way of registration of genuine unions of workers. In Canter-bury-the employers cited the union to appear before the Arbitration Court, becn-u.se they' knew that 96 per cent, of the sliearers, shed kinds, and' -thrashing workers were •unionists. Thoy had also drown up demands and served them on the empjoyerj for. the mustrrors and Malion hands.' The ease was being referred to a Council of Conciliation for settlement of tlie. Otago dispute. _ Tho settlement of the Otago thrashing-mill workers' dispute lvad '.been postponed until the- South Qmterbury case came bsfore a Ccuncil-of Conciliation for ■ settlement, as meth'xis of work were similar, but would- be-'fettled before next thrashing season. He adviwd the Labor party to run oandiartcs for every constituency.