SHEARERS AND EMPLOYERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12200, 16 July 1910, Page 5

SHEARERS AND EMPLOYERS.

(Special to Herald.j CHKISTGHUROH, this day. On Thursday afternoon delegates re- v presenting the Canterbury • Shearers' Union and the Canterbury .S'lieopowiuiv' Association met to discuss the date and place for the coming conference, which it had beeft/ agreed by the two parties should be held. The result of the meet- j ing was an indefinite- postponement of the conference. The employers' representatives asked the workers to subscribe to a condition to the holding of a, conference, which they regarded as intolerable. When seen by a reporter. Mr F. Waddell, the secretary of the Shearers' Union, stated that when the question was before the Court m the j morning the workers' representatives gave an undertakSng that they would i be prepared to discuss with the emjloyers at a Dominion, conference the rates and conditions of labor. They further guaranteed that the members of the union would. abide by any conditions agreed upon at that conference. The employers' delegates had, however, taken a course of action that was entirely unjustified by precedent. "I have had experiences of many conferences,", continued Mr Waddell, "but never before Irtive I been asked to give a guarantee of good faith, and' I do not believe that there is a precedent for such a request. We had sufficient authority from our union to sign the undertaking, but we could not see our way clear to do so, and wjb decided not to accede to the request. ' That broke. up all ideas of a conference," Mr Waddell went on to say, "that, as the judge of the Arbitration Court had himself stated, since efforts to bring about, an agreement by,u conference had proved abortive,, there was nothing now before the union but freedom of contract. He had had every hope that the proposed conference would have led to a satisfactory settlement of the difficulty before the shearing season opened, for when they had"hnd time to review the acute position 'in 'which the industry had been placed the employers must have been led to regard the matter m a different light from that m which it at present appeared to them. Although the employers had adopted an attitude which made it impossible, until the existing conditions were .altered, to arrange a conference, he was still confident that an amicable settlement of the 'dispute would be arrived at before the shearing, season opened. IMr H. Hawkins, organiser of the Maori shearers, who is jn. Christchurch jiißt now, states that m the Hawke's Bay. Poverty Bay, Wairarapa, and other northern districts where. Maoris have adopted shearing as a vocation, they arc recognised aa being first-class workers,

and sheepowners always endeavor to obtain their services. The Maori shearer if paid at the .same rate as *the European. Mr Hawkins says that some sheepowners take advantage of the fact that the Maori is more willing to rough it, and they give him cheaper accommodation and food. In a few sheds the Maori and European have the same accommodation. In most cases, however, there* are separate cook houses, and supplies of food. The Maori stands solidly for his £1 per 100 and better conditions. When he goes a-shearing he is often, accommodated- by some of his women folk, who do shed work, rolling the wool •and attending to other duties. The work is not heavy, but it ,is very trying, and the hours extend: from 5 m the morning until sin the evening. The women like it, • and with. a. little experience become nuick and skilful, and m the Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay districts the sheepowners prefer women to men for that class of work, and practically all of it is m their hands. They earn from 6s to 7a 6d a day. The food and accommodation for the women were very poor, but a- clause had now been inserted m the Act, providing, that there must be separate accommodation and that- it must be adequate and comfortable. When- the shearing season was over the Maori sheared worked on the roads or did bush falling, or anything else that came to his hand. . Fairly large numbers of Maoris, under the encouragement given by* the Government, are now, said Mr Hawkins, engaged m ckxiry farming and, sheepfarming, but most of them still find that there are resti'ictions which prevent them from using their own lands. According to Mr Hawkins., indeed, nearly every Maori on the East Coast of the North Island is a landed proprietor, who is forced to enter the labor market .simply hecause of the very unsatisfactory position of the grent "Xative question." . (Per Press Association.) CHRISTOHURCH, this day. . Mr La racy, .secretary of the "Shearers* Woolshed 'Employes' Association, has sent the following letter to the Minister for Labor : "Sit,— l enclose a copy of the report of the hearing of the Canterbury shearers' dispute at the Arbitration Court yesterday; and request you to bring this matter before Parliament immediately. A copy of this letter has also been sent to Mr T. E r Taylor. You will observe', from the condensed report y that the Judge of the Arbitration Court has taken up the utterly indefensible and unwarrantable position of declining to hear evidence _of any kind on behalf of the shearers. Yesterday he told us m effect, not once, but several times, that unless we complied with the demands of the employers, he would restore freedom of contract. The following extracts from •the verbatum report established this fact: 'His Honor..: Unless the parties come to an agreement the Court Mill have no option except to restore freedom of contract, having regard to the position taken up by the Union, And yon will have to enter into this Conference m a somewhat more chastened spirit than you have displayed hitherto. Unless the Union makes proper submission, the Court will restore freedom of contract. Unless the Court is satisfied that the Union has abandoned its quite untenable position, freedom of contract will be restored. The parties mush agree on the rates, or the Court will, restore freedom of contract, and the Union must abandon its quite indefensible position.' Thus (1) we have the Arbitration Court Judge, m sporting phrase, giving the ,' employers the 'tip' that all they have to do is to sit tight on the 16s 6d demand^ and the -shearers will be deprived of all protection under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. In this connection., I draw your attention to' Webster's definition of the word 'conciliate,' 'to win over, to gain from a state of hostility, to gain the,goodwill or favor of, to maker friendly, to mollify, to propitiate, to appease,' and I ask you to contrast this with the attitude of his Honor Mr Justice Sim m the Canterbury shearers' dispute, m his attempt to coerce the shearers into agreement with- the sheepowners' demands. (2). We have the Arbitration Court Judge giving the Court's decision' before he has heard one tittle of the evidence, m regard to the equity of our claim for 20s per 100. I think you will agree that for these two reasons we are perfectly justified m Asking Parliament tr> override so manifest a travesty, not only of arbitration and conciliation, but* also : of common justice. I believe PariiamemY is already convinced of the justness of our demund rate of 20s, and I shall not therefore marshal now the .reasons we • have for making it. I have' only to inform you that the demand; would have been amply supported byi the evidence, not only of shearers,' but? also of isheepowners we proposed tos call. As this evidence has been shut; out from publicity- by the prejudiced; decision of Mr' Justice Sim; wfr desire 1 you to lay the matter before Parliament, with a view of protecting not onlyi shearers, but all workers, from such i'-dicial threats of being deprived of their industrial lights and privileges. As a matter .of fact, the Shearers* Union, is the strongest organisation of labor m; Xew Zealand, with the exception of the: miners, and it can very well look after= itself under • 'freedom of contract,' but. n'any other classes of workers may' not. be so happily .situated. In asking -Par -.. liament, therefore, to override the pre-v judgment of the -Arbitration Court, tye-; are not speaking only for ourselves/ Liter on it may be considered necessary,' m order to protect the shearers agaipst future judicial coercion, to bring dow,h ; a special Bill, providing for the wogeß and conditions of shearers all ovei* the nonunion, m the «ame way as the Factories Act provides for various classes of workers. This is a, matter for careful consideration m the future, as it seems to us; but. if you consider it is a satis; factory solution of the present difficulty^ we a,re prepared, of course, to assist you m passing such legislation as will ensure by statute the rate and conditions we consider fair for the governing of ■shearing operations. Trusting you will render us all passible assistance m our attempt to withstand being coerced into a. 'chastened submission' (to quote- Mr Justice Sim), which is utterly intolerable to any body: o£ ; f roe-bom and: intelligent workers. — I -am, - etc,,, M v Lnraey . "