PEACE IN THE SHEDS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1800, 12 July 1913, Page 3

PEACE IN THE SHEDS.

SHEARERS' TROUBLE ENDS.

TERMS OF THE NEW AGREEMENT. An agreement was signed yesterday between tlio New Zealand Sheep Owners' and Farmers' Federation (Mr. T. H. Labatt, secretary), and tho New Zealand Shearers' and 'Woolshed Employees' Industrial Association of Workers. By the agreement, tho men have been granted .£1 per hundred all round, for machino and blado shearing, and for shearing lambs. The agreement, which covers this season and tho next three seasons, reads as follows

That for tho 1913-14 shearing season, tho rato to to paid for shearing grown - sheep or lambs by liand or machine shall be not less than one pound (=£l) per hundred, with rations. That tlie special clauses in; existing awards prescribing rates of pay for machine shearing and shearing lambs shall not bo further operative, and such awards shall be read as though tho clauses indicated hud been deleted.' The shearers' awards in all other respects to remain unaltered. John' Cooper, president, New Zealand Shearers' and Woolshed Employees' Industrial Association of Workers, and Michael Laracy, secretary, New Zealand Shearers' and Woolshed Employees' Industrial Association of Workers, further undertake to use their influence to secure that the New Zealand Shearers' and Woolshed Employees' Industrial Association of Workers will take sruch steps as majbo necessary to secure new shearers* awards in place of those now in force, and to apply for such new awards in the various industrial districts in which the present awards are operating, such new awards to embody only the terms of this agreement, and to bo made for a period of threo years, as from January 31, 1911.

Employers' Opinion, Referring to the undertaking signed by Messrs. Cooper and Laracy, president and secretary, respectively, of the Shearers' Association, and by himself, as secretary of the New Zealaud Sheep Owners' Federation, Mr. Labatt states that tho present position was indirectly the result of tho conference between the Sheep Owners' Federation and tho Shearers' Association, which took place on June 4. Tho present understanding had not, however, been arrived at without continuous negotiations between Mr. H., D. Acland, president of the Sheep Owners' Federation. Mr. W. Pryor, secretary of the New Zealand Employers' Federation, and Messrs. Cooper and Laracy as the shearers' j representatives. The _ suggested agreement meant an increase in the rate of machino. shearing, and a rise of Is. Gd. per 100 for lamb shearing.. , Comparatively fow lambs were shorn in the South Island, but in t'he extensive sheep districts of . Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Poverty Bay, a very largo number of lambs wero shorn. At the recent conference, it was stated that, no fewer than two and a half million lambs wero shorn annually in the North Island. Therefore the rise in tho rate for lamb shearing would be born mainly by North Island sheep-farmers. The Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay Sheep-owiiers' Unions were making a considerable concession in agreeing to tho increased rate. It had been pointed out that under the proposed agreement, tho sheep-owners had voluntarily agreed to inorease the price of lamb shearing under tho existing Poverty Bay award, and this could bo taken as an earnest on the part of the Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay sheep-owners to preserve tho amicable relations which had' long existed between sheep-owners and shearers in tho industry, which furnished the chief staple export of tho Dominion .Mr. Labatt said that credit was due to Mr. Pryor and Mr. Laracy for the valuable part they had taken in the recent negotiations, and he had no doubt, knowing as ho did of tho confidence placed in Messrs. Cooper and Laracy by the general body of shearers, that every effort would be made to give effect to their recommendations.

Mr. Laracy's View. Mr. Laracy, secretary of the union, states he is quite satisfied with tho agreement, as, in the first place, tlie rate fixed is only a minimum. Mr. Laracy's remarks were endorsed by Mr. Cooper, and it was pointed out that in tho past a number of 3hearers had been receiving 255. anif 225. 6d, per hundred in various places, and the agreement would not prevent them getting more than .£l. No doubt the sheds that • had been paying more would continue to do so.