Federated Shearers’ Union.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2076, 3 June 1887, Page 2

Federated Shearers’ Union.

A mooting of the above Union was convened in the Drill Hall, Mastorton, on Tuesday evening, to hear the President, Mr W. (i. Spence, of Victoria. Mr Spence, who was received with applause, stated that the Union was prog'ressiin' wonderfully. Since it started, up to the last audit, uo less than 11, IS! members had joined This number bad been augmented, and now they were 11,000. Strom;. Rules adapted fur Australia bad been adopted, hut for the New /calami shearers, who numbered -mOO, the rules would have to be slightly altered. Ibe stockowner bad as much benefit from the rules as the shearer, because they

were framed so as to place both ou a fair foot ini'. With reference to men out of employment the I niou would do ifood service. Aleuts would be stationed in each town who would lie able to nice any information as to whether sheds were full or not, so that men would no louder be found tramplin' on boolless errands from one shed to another. One complaint was that certain shearers, before the commencement of the season, were accustomed to u rite to several sheds, and so I'd, a foot ini' in each, but. only kept one ap|K>iutmcnt. The Union olUccrs would alter all this. Much otliecr was allot toil a imriion of a dis. trict. iShe.uvrs bavine; informed the uncut whin sheds they would like to Uei into, 1 1 anenl would forward the names n the mauai'or or owner, who

oiiKllmj -loin hick Ins men ami intnuT tlk- i v-iil. 'flic system would do way null l trxiii j>i i uy; round the country. I’mler the amended rules the committee hud nothing to do with dillieullies between workmen and managers. They only interfered in the ease of a man losing Ids j<>l>. In Australia, in some places, when men got the sack, they - -vere not fully paid, ms much ms 7s t>d I mint deducted, lie knew of a man who made it a regular practice every y ear to discharge a number of men and dock their wages. The I’.“ton would alter t his as the owner had to pav for every sheep he hail shorn, Thu Luton hail had a phenomenal success. PS per cent.

of the Auslraliuu uhonrers were members, aud ho per cent, in Now Zealand, X'he stockowners had a mouoi>oly at present, but tile unity of shearers tend- d to equalise this n\ouo|>oly. Capitalists Jiad come to understand tho workmen belter, so hud the workmen. In many eases the employers had shown the men their books, and tlie men bad worked in accordance. IteeTaiimd that they could not have harmony unless people w, iv put in a position to judge for themselves. When a man out dowu wages there was

always a fooling of resentment a^wnst him. There was ulwnt's otic man district who tried to cut down wage** and the rate of wages was in tousc* quenec cut down to the lowest limit. In England the Trades Unions had done a vast amount of good by kocjnug up tho standard rate of wages, a tiling that tended to a better distribution of wealth. One of the most important things to shearers was the rate of pay. In the other 1 slands the rate was 15s, but some station owners thought 12s Cd was enough. The ijuesl ion to the stockowner was not whether it was worth 17s <'« i, hut could they not get it done for less than that price It was for the shearers testate whether this was right or not. Shearing was skilled labour, and should he well paid for. It was not every'*sly who could handle the shears. In conclusion he asked those present to stale what was a fair watte t Alter some discussion it was resolved to ask fl ]>er hundred and take the sheep as they came. —Star.