SHEARERS' UNION TACTICS

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14773, 12 October 1921, Page 7

SHEARERS' UNION TACTICS

"HEADS WE WIN, TAILS YOU LOSE." PLAYING WITH ARBITRATION. The judgment of a court of the land is not one that should be played with, whether it is the Court of Industrial Arbitration or any other. We may have our private opinions on' the decisions of Magistrates and Judges, but whatever our personal opinion is, once the Court has decided, those having a real respect for the law of the land bow and submit to the decision. To oppose legal discussions whenever they do not suit us, if generally followed out, would land the country in a state of chaos. Refusing Work. Wc regret to lind that whilst the wool trade is in a state of depression, the Shearers' Union, led by Mr C. Grayndler, secretary, seems to think their best plan is to apply the. rule, as between themselves and the sheep owners, of "heads we win, tails you lose." It is reported that men who were prepared to shear at the rates fixed, by the Arbitration Court were accosted by the way and influenced not to take the work. In view of the existing unemployment"it appears strange to find men refusing work. Who are the diiect advisers of the men* not to take work at the rates fixed by the Court we do not know. The general attitude of Mr Grayndler, and other leaders, appears to be that if the Court had given an award fixing rates which they considered right, it would have been thought proper to respect that decision, and the employers should be compelled to do so, but the rale being lowered on a falling market (no uncommon occurrence) every step in the way of suggestion, special pleading and quibbling on technicalities is deemed right in preventing the actual operation of the award. On the 14th of last month, Mr Grayndler said, "his council had been definite in their instructions," and , again, it is immaterial to us whether the public consider this attitude tantamount to a strike or not. How is it not disclosed what the "definite instructions" were, but it is notable that this redoubtable leader takes the stand of "pooh! that for public opinion." He forgets that the public may reciprocate when his Union really needs assistance. The public often seems slow and stupid, but in the end is deadly certain in its reprisals. Playing With the Law. If the whole shearing industry is to be stuck up in order to serve the sectional interests of certain Labour Over Lords, the publfe, which must suffer, is likely to remember. ' Reduced to ground terms we find the attitude of Mr C. Grayndler to be, not that of a leader with-a full sense of responr sihility, but a flippant, captious and tricky debater for points without proper regard for what may become of the industry. He writes of "one member of the Court being on strike and the other two locked out," and that "Sir Francis Bell or the GovernorGeneral may sec lit to intervene, and rectify the confusing errors that may have been made in the award"; — ■ simply chihiish attempts at smartness, hedping no one. The fact stands out that when the wool market was high the shearers were able to get a benefit in the high Yate iixed for shearing, and now when the market is low the rate follows. Other people have to bear reductions for the same reason, and Court or no Court, the law would operate. It is playing with Arbitration to say wc will respect the Court's decision when it gives us what we want, hut when it does not we will denounce it. The question of whether the recent Shearers' Award applies to practically all the Dominion or only the Wellington district, we leave' for the Labour Department and Mr Grayndler to settle. At the sariie time we con-tend-that the Government should take strong action to prevent stoppages of ' the industry.

The Labour Department has pointed the moral of Clause 31, but moralising and discussion is not sufficient. The clause named and all other powers to prevent interference with the operation of the law should he promptly, llrmly and impartially applied from now on. If arbitration is not to degenerate into a mere legal farce, and the law treated as the pawn of industrial trickery, then the Government must ensure that the full powers of the State shall be applied in enforcing the law and decisions without delay, and without fear or favour. (Contributed by the New Zealand Welfare League.)