THE SHEARERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIII, Issue 14350, 16 November 1910, Page 5

THE SHEARERS.

NEW OFFICIAL ARRANGEMENTS. Par Press Association, CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 15. At a eoiiierence of Shearers' Unions lit'ld lust Eriday, to consider the question oi reduction in tiie cost of running tlie Shearers' Federation, tlie President explained that at present it cost i roughly £9OO or £IOOO per annum to ? run the Federation and it was i'elt that I SIJ large an expenditure was not war- ; ranted. It was decided that there should be one central office in Christchurch to control the whole of tile at j of the Federation in the Dominj. ion. Mr 1 (1 . addell was appointed | secretary at a salary of 70s per week, j, and Mr A. M. Laracy was appointed f travelling organising secretary for the j! Shearers' "Union and the "Haoriland i: Worker" at 90s weekly. Other altera- | tious were agreed upon, the effect of j which will be to reduce salaries, totalj ling £GoO, to about £350 exclusive of , rent, -and thus effecting a saving of about- £2UO per annum. | Last Saturday a conference between ! representatives of the Shearers' FederI ation and the New Zealand Federation ! of Labour was opened, Sir King (Prej sident -of the Shearers' Federation) presiding. The amalgamation of shearers and miners was discussed. Air Laracy stat-ed t-liat the shearers were m a position to organise country workers, and he hoped they would b« organised soon. The object of the con. icrence was to establish a paper of which every New Zealand worker would be proud, and which would bring about real and lasting solidarity i amongst the workers. He was person- | ally thoroughly convinced that the | Miners' Federation was the one the ; shearers' should join; but he would | like to have the attitude of the miners ! explained with regard to political aci tiou.

.Mr Semple (organiser of the Netv Zealand I ederation of Labour) said that his federation was distinctly not anti-parliamentary, but- they laid more importance at present 011 industrial urgaaisaion than 011 political action. Political action at the present time would be merely a reileciion of disorganised _ labour. and would result in brining int-o power a labour party that lat-er on the workers would have to turn round and fight, as they had had 10 do in various parts of "Australia. There were all sorts or political jellyfish ready enough now to sign the platform of the Labour party, for the mere purpose of obtaining office. The labour movement -was too sacred to be prostituted by the admission of such persons as these. Industrial organisation and continuous jjropaganda work tor advanced economic enlightenment of the toilers of this Dominion wore the first essentials. It was better to have in tlioir ranks live thousand class-con-scious and organised workers than twelve thousand men who had no real knowledge of the class struggle in the nudst ot which the world is cast. Mr Webb (President of the New Zealand Federation of "Workers) advocated most strongly tbe building up of an industrial organisation, rather than a political organisation at present. He thought that even the admission of political clauses into the constitution of such an industrial organisation as theirs would spell inevitable chaos. There were far greater powers for guod m industrial unionism tliaji in ail the political organisation the workers of this country were likely to attain for a ioag time to come. It \v;us their bounden duty to bring all workers inio the New Zealand Federation of Labour, wherever possible, ami educate them to their real interests in life, to sec that as long as capitalism prevailed so long were they merely wage slaves. It was only a matter of a few months before the minors and navvies and waterside workers, and, he hoped, sheared, would lie united in one large and powerful organisation, jiledged to bring about industrial solidarity. Ultimately, after much discussion and after representatives of the Shearers' Union agreed to a motion to the effect that they would do all Hi their power to induce the Shearers' Federaation to join the New Zealand Federation of V.'orkers, it was decided that the Shearers should contribute £2OO and the New Zealand Federation of Workers a similar amount to purchase a plant for the ''Maoriland Worker. ' At a later stage Mr Lnrney said: "W'e came here prepared to lay down the policy of the paper in conference."'

Mr Somi>le: The pol icy is already laid down for "The Maoriland Worker. Vou have got the policy. V. e are prepared to support that policy. It can uo on as it is, and we arc prepared to hand out a certain amount of money until a ballot is taken. Then we can alter the i>olicv as we wish, and you can liave equal representation with us on the Board. You have never said your paper or your palicy was perfect, and we don't say our constitution is perfect. We want to leave the policy of vour paper as it is. provided you advocate our constitution as agreed. The motion was then carried unanimously. Mr Laracy asked: Are the delegates here i'rom tiie New Zealand Federation of Labour going to appoint anyone to assist in the management of the paper until Februarv next? Mr Webb: No. Mr Lnracv: You are not going to help us in any way except financially and by writing of articles? Mr Semp'-e: We promise yon financial resistance to whatever extent you require it. proportionally, and if you want to put on an extra man to do the work we are prepared to meet our share of the additional cost.

TRE 20S RATE. REFUSED AT ST. LEONARDS. MEN WILL NOT TURN TO. This afternoon Mr Laracy received the following telegram from Mr Iverr, representative of the shearers at St. Leonard's shed, near Culverden: — "There is trouble at St. Leonard's. Closed oif. Employer refused £l. 'tyarn the men." Mr Laracy states that tho shearers wont to St. Leonards, but did not intend to shear at less than £1 a hundred. As far as Mr Laracy knows the shearers in all other parts of Canterbury are getting £l.