SHEARERS' POSITION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14321, 11 October 1910, Page 3

SHEARERS' POSITION.

SHED HANDS DISSATISFIED. MR LARACV'S STATEMENT. -"With regard to the Australian shearers. I liave bad a number of letters from the other sitle stating that the men there are standing stiH regarding anv engagements in New Zealand until' a i-omplet'e settlement has be.-n arrived at. in the Dominion." said Mr M. hartley, secretary of the Shearers' Federation, to a " New Zealand Times" reporter, v.-lien questioned with respect to the attitude of the shearers since the award of the Arbitration Court.

" The present position is tins." he continued. " The Union is taking no steps to prevent anyone from entrap in?: stands uudar the award, id though the men iudividuallv are absolutely refusing to shear at less than £1 per Hi" throughout New Zealand. What the Union is most concerned about at picsent, however, is the shed hands.

whose case has been hung up itnl.il | November. This practically moans that any award which may In- made will be oi' no :i«' in tln'm this si'iison. We havo placed tho position before members of i'nrliament. asking thengood offices in the matter, v. ith a view to urging the Minister of Labour to bring ahout a special sitting of the Arbitration Court to deal with the shed hands' case. We want the protection of the court in regard to this class of workers. -Last year wo went to a groat deal of trouble in organising them, and they have paid about £.IOO into the Union. They are getting anxious, in the belief that this money lias boon thrown away, at any rate so far as the present season is concerned. " The Court not sitting until November to hear their case also places the shearers in a. very awkward position, as these sheil hands are members of out association, and the individual members of the I'iiion are beginning to ask the question : ' What's going to be done about the shed hands r' Altogether the position is most unsatisfactory. A\o hare done our best to bring tho case before the Court ; we can do no more. If something is not done very shortly with -regard to tho shed hands I personally think wo will be in no better position than we wore 'before, the award was ma.io i'ov the sho.n-vi'-s and i can see nothing ahead hut industrial unrest throughout the shearing season without a settlement is arrived at. "In Canterbury shearing has started I know of no men who are working at- less than ■£] per ]oo. ami r t o engagements are being made ai, a lower rate. , X"o shearing is y-.'t taking place in (lingo and Southland, but the "men there have made a vow that, thev will not shear under £l. "[,, WeH'iiin-ton. Waiuu-apii and Tlawhe's Hay. whore the shearers are mostly Maoris, thov havo refused to go to work until suvii time an arrangement is made rel>nrrL'iig the conditions and the rate of pay. and thoi-e ij in i..-. n conference on Wednesday to endeavour to j-oa"!i a settlement." The Maoris so r-.w have nroved the si aunt-host men in the Shearers' Union.

'• So far as the award made bv the i'-iKu I in Wellington !iiv-s. as 1' have said. tUs union :« inking no stops to <!efeat tbe award. Bvervthing 'is nw in tlia men's liamK riy„] fT-orn rfiat I car: gather, travelling throm-h----rrctt the Dominion, the men will stan i by tne mention passed in the slipils last year at conference, and at mowings held subsequent to -f Jio confer-