SHEARERS' UNION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1563, 20 May 1887, Page 3

SHEARERS' UNION.

Mr W. G Spenco, President of the Shearers' Union of Australasia, was Id Ashburton on Thursday evening, and met In the Oddfellows' Hall about a dozen oi the shearers resident m the town. OI course, this number does not anything like represent the number of men who annually engage m the work of sheep shearing, but the absence of the main body from last night's meeting was accounted for by the weather, and the dlstanoe the majority would have to travel to be present. The alma and objects of the Union are well known, bat Mr Spence delivered an address of some length, In whioh he detailed those objects and alms m full as well as the working of the Society. Its prime objects were to maintain the price per hundred for Bhearing sheep, to prevent extortionate charges for ration?, uncontrolled "docking" when a man has been dismissed from the shed, and to seoure, if possible, better accommodation for the shearers on the stations. On the other hand, the Union also ateiats m the protection of employers as agaluet the oondnot of unprincipled or dissolute workmen. The Union had 11,000 members m Australasia, and Its operation had now been extended to New Zealand, 95 per oent of the shearers m this colony having joined it. Both men and employers found the Union a great advantage, and the employers were giving it Bup port very largely, Both olasaos had suffered m previous years from the absence of a union. Men had taten engagements with several owners, but, of coarse, shorred up at only one place — tbe other owners were thus short of men, while other men were oat of work m oonßequenoe of this sort of thing. Delay was thus caused to both employers and shear erß. The Soolety got over this difficulty m Australia by having an " office " system of engagement, by whioh men mapped out the districts they desired to work over, and employe™ selected the men they wished to. The applications for men and for work were sent to the " office," and the Secretary or other agent was usually able to satisfy all parties, He was also m a position to let men know where workmen were wanted and where they were not, thus very oon> sid.-rably shortening their journeys, by oattiog off those that would be fruitless. A'ter several questions bad been asked and answered, Mr Leonard Price undertook to make arrangements for the next meeting on the 11th June, at whioh a representative would be appointed to attend the Oonferenoe to be held m Oamaru on the 14th, at whioh offioers of the Union for New Zealand would be appointed, and the whole thing put m working order.