THE SHEARING DISPUTE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10608, 10 November 1910, Page 4

THE SHEARING DISPUTE.

~ TROUBLE IMPENDING. n OTAGO HjII'LOYHRS BLAMED d ~ (Vrr. Piidss Association.) C'hii>tcli!iich. November 9.-->t Accoiduig to a statement' made by n Mi Tj.u.io\,'general .srcietary of the t Sou Zealand Shearcis' Union, trouble s. is brewing in Otago between the sheepy" owners and.the shearers consequent upt (in the shccp-owneis declining to pay 0 the Kites sot cut both m the awaid e made m Cantcibuiy and Wellington e disputes. When that aw aid was made, Mi Laiacj pointed out, Mr Justice is Sim stated in the Arbitration ;Court, at ■- Wellington, on September 24, that the court had made an award fixing the t rates of pay and embodying the general - conditions of the last Canterbuiy award which would be the general conditions i of the Wellington award and all other 1 awards that the couit might be asked t, to make. The Otago Sheareis' Union y had filed a dispute prior to the awatd | s in the Canterbury and Wellington casesj being made, and the Otago dispute was s dealt with by the Conciliation Council, r In -view of his - lloati s statement J t above quoted, tne Union did not take' further steps. Now shearns who have 1 applied toi stands in Otago sheds, have v been nitoimed the employers that fc' the conditions, and rates arc to vbc as undoi the old award Consequently, s Mr Laracy proceeded, as iar as Ot igo 1 was concerned, they were no further l ahead than pnor to the aw aid, and, as i there was not now 7 time for the matter i to be dealt.with by the Court, the union } was placed in a cntical condition. In - ' \ lew of the present state of affairs, he I had telegraphed as follow sto Mi Justice > Sim's associate —"When will shearers' case be heard;in Dunedin?" and he rel ceived the following reply from Mr ' Roberts, clerk,bf awards at Dunedin "Arbitration Couit will sit at Dunedin ' piobably on December 13, when the business will include shcaiers' disputes." On receipt of this, and knowing that they had to take some steps to protect themselves, Ml Laiao ««nt thfe following cablegram to Mi D. Mac Donald, sccretar> of the A.W -U., Woiker Office, Sjdnej :—"Block Australian sheai'ei.s at all costs. A ibattle going to be fiought in Otago." He also telegraphed as follows MacMamis, sec•retary of the Otago Shearers' Union " Advertise meeting Wednesday night. ;AVe must fight in Otago, as the Court lis forcing us." On Tucsdaj night Mr Xaracy intends addiessmg a'mcttmg at" .Oamaru, ,on Wednesday "night one at [ Dunedin, and others atdifl'cient places j in Otago and Southland. He added i that no difficulty had been cxpei lencod iu connection with the awaid in Can-., terbury. The majority of the shedswere gnjiig £1 for both machine and blade shearing, and he only knew of< two sheds where sheafing was being' 1 done for 19s 6d. In the Wellington district there was, he felt pretty sure, i only one shed wheie the niimmum-rate was being paid. Dunedin, November 10. > With reference to Mr Laiacy's statement that the Otago sheep-owners are refusing to recognise the Canterbury '> and Wellington awards and arc offering P duly 18s per 100, the Executive of the t Otago and Southland Sheep-owners 7 Union give an emphatic denial. They say that, recognising that the Canterbury and Wellington conditions must eventually become the conditions for b Otago and Southland, the sheep-owners a unanimously decided to conform to them w at once, and this has been done.