SHEARERS AND THE AWARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18352, 16 September 1921, Page 5

SHEARERS AND THE AWARD

INDUSTRY NOT IN DANGER. (Feom Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 14. Referring to tne shearers’ Arbitration Court award, the Dominion says; “Shearers are better placed than most people to understand - hat the general secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union (Mr C. Grayndler) is talking arrant nonsense when he says that the industry cannot aliord to be held up, and trial he expects the sheep-owners will be compelled to capitu.ato in a month's time. A proportion of the shearers undoubtedly will retuse to sacrihce well-paid employment merely in order to salve the wounded self-importance of their union officials. But even if it were otherwise, there ’ would be no danger in existing conditions of the industry being held up, or of sheep-tarmers being compelled to concede extortionate and unfair demands. The assertion that the now award is unjust to shearers is completely answered in the fact that farmers throughout the dominion are quite ready to do their own shearing by methods of mutual aid where shearers refuse to do the work at the rates the court has fixed. Even if no question had arisen about rates, many fanners would have, dispensed this season with the assistance of outside shearers. It is no new thing for the man on the land to case the pressure of bad times by an extra working effort." ..Any attempt now made to set aside the new award will simply impel farmers to rely to a still greater extent upon their own efforts, made more effective by neighbourly co-operation.”

(Per United Press Association.) NAPIER, September 14. In conversation with a reporter, Mr W. C. Prime, secretary o£ the Hawke's Bay Sheepowners’ Union, gave an indication of, the feelings of farmers in this district in reference to the advice of the Executive of the New Zealand Workers’ Union to shearers and shed hands to retrain from making arrangements under tho Arbitration Court’s recent award. “In our opinion,” said Mr Prime, “ this threat is absolute bluff. In, the first place, it is intended to throw dust in tho eyes of the public by trying to make them think that shearers arc being ill-used, and asked to accept ridiculously low rates of pay, whereas the great rtiajority of the men realise that the rates are fully equiva-

lent to those earned by other workers, and higher than many of those engaged in tho industry can stand. As a matter of fact, we know that the great majority of .shearers —that is, actual workers, not officials of tho 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 a* perfectly willing to go ahead at the award rates. If Mr Grayndler'a throat were intended seriously, all I can say is that he and the officials of the union were very illadvised in their .own interests. Their attempt to hold up shearing cannot succeed, both for the reason already mentioned, and by reason of the fact that so many fanners, on account of the financial stringency, are forced to do their own shearing. Mr Grayndler’s' threat will probably be the

means of inducing other farmers who axe not actually forced to do their own shearing to now make arrangements to do so. , The danger to Mr Grayndler’a union lies in tho fact that their action may induce many who otherwise would have employed shearers to do tho 'work themselves. Quite a number of young farmers, particularly among the soldier settlers, who had not thought of doing their own shearing, because it is a generally accepted custom to employ shearers, if they find they can get along without shearers once, will have learned to do the work themselves, and in future seasons will continue to do so. Mr Grayndlcr is making a lot of the fact that wool prices show a tendency ;to rise. He quite overlooks the fact that rises are comparatively small precontages, but even though the rise were as much as 50 per cent., oven that would not bring prices up to half what they were during tho commandeer, or*up to a paying level. For instance, 50 per cent, on 4d brings the prjco only to 6d, whereas the commandeer price was probably Is 3d. Tho statement that farmc'rs cannot afford to have their shearing hold up a fortnight, and that they would capitulate in a monthj is also wide of the mark: Even if delay is likely, time would not matter. There is no desperate hurry to got the wool away to the sales on account of tho surplus already on hand, and with tho market rising, a little delay might bo to the farmers’ advantages.