SHEARERS & EMPLOYERS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10503, 11 July 1910, Page 6

SHEARERS & EMPLOYERS.

(Per Press Association.) ] Christchurch, July 9. With regard to the shearers' dispute and Mr Pryor's letter to Mr Millar, Mr Laracy, secretary to the Shearers' Association, has wired as follows to the Minister: "We agree to 'hold a. conference in Christchurch on Wednesday in terms of my letter of Saturday." MR PRYOR'S REPLY. Wellington, July &. Mr W. Pryor, secretary of the New Zealand Employers' Federation, yesterdav addressed the following letter to the Hon: J. A. Millar, Minister of Labor, in reply to the letter sent ito the Minister by Mr Laracy, secretary of the Shearers' Association : Sir,—ln Mr Laracy's letter to .you he practically confirms all 'I stated in mine of, the 6th inst., but does not accept whatever award the Court may make in Christchurch next week as a Dominion award. He still says, 111 effect: "We want a Dominion award, but it must be considered at the place we desire, and must be on terms we have laid down." With regard to Mr Laracy's suggested conference, I must state that I am in communication with the executive of the New Zealand Sheep Owners' Federation, and am hopeful that some arrangement will he made whereby the terms for a Dpminion award shall be 1 mutually agreed upon. It is obvious, however, that the conditions proposed by Mr Laracy as the basis for discussion cannot' be agreed to, as' these, it will be admitted, must be left to the conference to decide. 111 view of the . Arbitration Court sitting in Christchurch on Tuesday next, to consider the' Canteroury Shearers' dispute, it will be impossible to arrange a conference at any other place, and if a settlement is not arrived at, the Canterbury case will have to be .proceeded with before the Court.

i : Cliristchurch, July 10. The negotiations for a conference between, the y shearers and sheepowners have been broken off, consequent on tlie slieareTS declining to have the tor shearing discussed at any conference. ; •A -meeting of shearers and woolshed hands was held on Saturday night, 24< being present. iMr Laracy, general secretary to tne New Zealand Shearers' and Woolshed Employees' Association of Workers, stated" that the meeting was called to discuss the position they were now - placed in owing-to the action otthe employers in citing the. Union before the Arbitration Court to fix the conditions and rates for the coming seascßi. Last season resolutions were forwarded from the sheds throughout the Dominion affirming that no shearing should bo done for less than 20s per 100. The owners had brought down the pl'ice from that figure to 15s, and the Union had been endeavoring to get tlio old price restored. Two years ago tlio case before the Arbitration Court cost the Union £l5O. and if ever a case was proved in New 'Zealand it Was proved on that occasion. "He desired to show no disrespect to the Court nor -to the Judge, but when on tli>tt occasion the rate was fixed at 18s the Judge did not think that the rate would be prostituted as it had been. There was a certain class of sheepowners, men who cimld afford to pay 20s per 100, who had made -the minimum rate the maximum. These were the wealthy men who drovo about in motor cars and -ran tlieir affairs in a big way. Unionists and those who worked for that rate simply did so-out of respect to -the Court. Non-unionists told them 'they could get 20s without the union, and that they did not shear for 18s. The time had arrived when the - unionists were determined to get the price that non-unionists got. The shearers had seen the. foolishness ! of their ways in the past, and were going to get 20s or —they did not say how; but they_ were going to get -it. 'l.ho conditions were absolutely the same throughout tlio Domonion. If a shearer woko up, and did not know how lio'grit there, lie would not know whether ho -was shearing in a North or u South Island shed. Two years ago. before the Arbitration Court, the employers attempted to show that the North Island sheep were heavier than those of the South Island, and that the conditions were altogether different, but what did they find them doing this year? Because they were federated into one body they were filing the same claims in the North as well as in the South, and they found ■the champion agitator of the South Island (Mr Acland), the man who fought against the farm laborers, going to the North Island to reduce the rates there. The sheepowners of New Zealand had turned round and told him (Mr Laracy) that they had no power to meet the representatives of the Union in conference, because though the owners were federated they were not registered. Such a childish tale was never before told a body of men, and in itself it was enough to make every shearer say, "I will stand shooting before I will shear for'less than 205." He knew of no shearers in New Zealand who would shear for less. —(Hear, hear.) After declining a conference, the sheepowners cited the Union before the Court, and asked for a reduction to 17s 6d, while the price of wool is now -higher than it was two years ago. A few agitators among the iSouth Island sheepowners had brought about the agitation for the reduction of the rate in the North Island Thit was clearly proved because -the North -Island owners were seeking men at 20s, and ahy man in the room who wanted a-pen at that rate could get it. 'During his, recent visit to Otago he learned that owners who had nevfer previously paid -20s wero offering that rate. The previous evening ho got a telegram "from Mr Waddell (secretary of the Canterbury Union) stating ' thfjt 'the ''Caritei'bury owners wanted a conference, but he (Mr Laracy) had asceft'aiifea that the owners wanted the union to take back all about the'2os pel- 100. Ooiild they go back? (A voice, "Yes, for. 20s per 100.") Could they go back after sending a cable to Australia? (Cries of "No.") lie had - telegraphed in reply to Mr Waddel that -he (Mr Laracy) would meet the employers in conference provided they considered "the 20s per 100, as it was too late now to discuss the price. He made no bones about it that they had the employers beat. The shearers had waiited peace, and now the employers wanted fight. They would give it to them.—(Hear, hear.) He was prpud to be-secretary of the Union, but the moment the shearers accepted less than 20s 'lie was going out of it: He had been told that he was I going further than lie ought to; -that lie was attempting to bring the Court into contempt, and other terrible tilings;. but what he said was that the men had been "had'- 1 in the past. Tney had lost lrioney, and had cheated them- . selves by accepting the, minimum "vie. as : an award rate. Two years ago the Judge had said that if shearers did not •care to accept the rate fixed by the Court tliey could go away. They were not going away. They were going to stay away if they did riot get 20s per head. He had no intention of inciting any shearer to strike or of bringing discredit on the Court, but ho wanted ihem to understand that no man is compelled to work at a rate with which he is not satisfied, oj that does not pay 'him for the labor expended. They were quite justified in selling their labor as well as they could. The sheepowners sold their products in the best markets. The men who owned the back country stations, where tho sheep are hardest to shear, who owned tlio stations which wero costly to reach, were the men who had been paying the minimum rate, whilst men shearing on tho fiat under more favorable conditions got 2fls. Mr Pryor had stated that at the sitting of tho Conciliation Council in Cliristchurch he (Mr Laracy) had objected to have the ease dealt with in Wellington for tho purpose of fixing a Dominion award. He said nothing of the sort. On tho contrary, lie had expressed himself as favorable* to having a Dominion award fixed in Wellington. There was no use of them looking for any great things being done in the Arbitration Court on Thursday. At present they were not shearers, and they simply refused to become shearers if they did not get 20s per 100. He referred to the result of the "stay-at-

home" manifesto issued to shearers in New South Wales some years ago, and said that if the shocpowncrs prim' to the issue had agreed to '2os per 100 tin shearers would liavo been satislied, .ilia would not probably have pone on lighting till they got 245. , m , It was unanimously decided that tin action of the secretary be endorsed m regard to the conference with the employers, and also that the secretary s action bo endorsed in telegraphing Mr Waddell objecting to ;v conference unless it was agreed that the rate shuulu bo 20;j per 100.