SHEEP SHEARING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 299, 27 January 1910, Page 5

SHEEP SHEARING.

ALLEGED UK EACH OF AWARD. BIG CLAIM AGAINST A FARMER. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Dannevirke, List Xight. A ease of interest to sheep-farmers was called oil at the Court to-day, when the Inspector of Awards for llawke's. Bay claimed from Mrs. Franklin, a sheep-farmer, of Ti-tree Point, the sum of £SOO as a penalty for an oll'ence irider section 5 0 f the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Aei, 1908, Following are the particulars of the alleged ollcnce. The defendant, being a person bound by the Wellington shearers' award, dated April 4, 190!), did on November 4, 1009, employ s'cv*n shearers, and. further, on November 4, 1909, did lock out the said shearers and thus become a party to a lock-out in the industry in the co-unty of Weber. For the prosecution it was alleged that the men refused on more than one occasion to shear sheep because they were wet; that defendant's son said to the men: '"'Either shear the sheep or take your cheques." The men took the cheques. It was contended by the inspector that the action of Franklin, in giving an alternative to the men, constituted a lock-out. The Slagistrate declined to decide the point off-hand, and evidence for the defence was being heard to-night. The question is whether under the award the shearers' were justified in refusing to shear sheep because they were wet.