N.Z. SHEARERS.

Grey River Argus, 27 June 1922, Page 6

N.Z. SHEARERS.

EMPLOYERS’ BAD TERMS. Delegates from tho Sheepowners’ Federation, representing the Otago, Canterbury, Alarlborough, Hawke’s Bay. and Poverty Bay Sheepowners’ Unions and the Defence Committee of the Wellington Farmers’ Union, met representatives of the shearers’ unions at tho Farmers’ Institute Buildings, for the purpose of discussing wages and conditions of shearers and shed hands lor next season at Wellington Tho proposals made at the conference last week by the employers were as follow:—Shearers, 20/- per P*o ami found for sheep, and 17/6 per 100 and. found for lambs, for both blade and machine shearing with no bonus in either case. Shed hands: Pressers, £2/10/- per week, or 1/5 per hour, and found; all other shed hands, £2/5 ]>er week, or .1/4 per hour, and found; youths under 18 years, .35/- per week, or 1/- per hour, and found, t.'ooks for 12 men or less. £3 per week and found; cooks’ assistants, £2/10/or less; Cooks’ wages by agreement with a minimum of £.3 per week, where more than 12 men are employed. It was proposed that all the above rates should be minimum rates. The remaining clauses in the existing agreement were to be continued unaltered. 3'he shearers’ representatives, after a short discussion in committee, informed the sheepowners that they would refuse to discuss, the proposals made. When a£ked for their own proposals, the shearers’ delegates stated that they were not prepared to make any. 3'he conference then came to an end.