FARMING & COMMERCIAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2558, 4 September 1915, Page 8

FARMING & COMMERCIAL

• SHEARERS* CONFERENCE RTJRAX) AMALGAMATION. , t .-, -Following, is the Teporfc supplied of - • Thursday: s. sitting,.of- the Shearers' and uWoolshed Employees' Conference'■■■■; i. . . The ballot tor 'the office of vice-presi-dent .iesult«l in, .the xetiirn of Mr.. C.' Giayndler A- leittor'froar'irr.' Townsend'-was dis-' . . ..! cussed at length.: Tho. practices of shears ...- sing on Sundaysiand ot men using, their, .. > i cown-machines, were lieartily. condemned..' v-Messrs-.'-Coopery Adair, and West (visi- • tors to conference) were appointed scratiueeis foi ballots , -• -The: following- farm; labourers' dele- •: .gates wore, welcomed •to :— Messrs. J. NicholsoniiE-'Hunterj- E.-H. : j a .I'Eell • (Mastorton), D. Moriarty ;,(Marl- :■ P: Ker.(Canterbury),- R. Eddy . ■: >■-«.: (Wnimate). G., Bmco ■ (Otago). and T. - v v ..' ••Robinson ; (representative of. Palmerston'. flajroorkers) v - Tho .president (Mr. :A". J. King) ac- ■' : /• . icorded a;Verj r ,hearty:welcome to all tho ■ i':delegates/.'and expressed tho hope that .' . v •«•;!?-»..work-able-'scheme: .of ■ amalgamation would bo arrived at. ; • ~ , ;.Tho proposals :drafted by the Shearers' Conference-wero .brought down for discussion ui tho afternoon Mr Brace moved and Mr. Cooper seconded-,-.the adoption- -of- Clause 1, namely- "I.' That the NZ Shearers' ! Aid Wodlshed Workers' Unon, tho : . Sfarlborouglx Rural Workers': TJnioii, tho Cantorbuir Agricultural and Pastoial ;. ,-- : Workers' ~Uiiion,, t'hs Otago and South- - land ;Farm :and Station Workers' -Union, v( and such other organisations as may ac-v scKeme^-/sliallJbecome one' or-. : gamsation under ; tbe.;t)tlo of-, the. New - Zealand Workers' Union " i Mr. Huntor movedi-as an amendment, and Mr..Nicholson seconded: ."That this /,vSi ; viv<»nferehce'.. a& 'object , '.the ';.;OTUstMctipn; of- <ino.;..big-- v^bn-^MiHihe ! '. workersi -employed m the agricultural and';: pastoral; mdust^fy'v viz:;' all .farm; 1':.^7.---P 'workers,'^.creamery,,'biittbriv and cheese factory employees, flaxmill &: v „ ! .. '-Svorkcrs, • •shearers,-. ■ and ,slied ;hands/ '• ' .'diggers.",' y?.^'-.j:o S'Ssi- ; delegates; poiiited out that - -'",-.- ; pr<»oiit' i ,cp|iference 'dealiiia<. with tho •', '.'/.''amalgamation- of 'any, workers except. ••■ ry rural :ivorkdrs., .The -conference-had no. yf' take iii gum-diggers and others. . ' iiot in .Clause l. .i Oth'er deleS®.yi v,gafts.-i>6inted-out the.. freezers - had. i■: , their.:own -federation: already,. and' that 'i: , until suclr time •as ballots were taken tho llax-workers could not 'be admitted : eitber. . Mr. iD. Monai-ty explained the : ,i -position from the point of view of .the ,v. v-y-:.' Industrial.: Conciliation and Arbitration '. i . .Act;. The. shearers'-'delegates', explain-: eel that-they- liad-iio- desire 'to start a -■, > nval ,orgaiusation\ to:- the> Federation of- , ; ; Labour, but merely, wished to link up i: • *«, all^the.counbiy-workors—many of whom•■".'.ivere totally' unorganised' at present-- • into one amalgamation. : After. some: further discussion the. .... ... '-'^'president':said lie-was' afraid he must ;. : - rule the amendment out'-.of order. This • •• • -ruling was challenged/-and- on: tie vice-'- ■ ,president taking the chair, and'tlie 1110- „(- ;-.tion .being putj-it was: dissented from by 11 votes to 6 ~ • 3rr. Hunter's amendment was then • 'further'debated. V'. 'At -a later ..stage the shearers' dele-. 1 gates conferred among themselves as to" whether or'not; any .alteration. cpuld be made in Clause: 1. The - shearers co-uld .-, .riot their way to alter tho clause. : -. After both the motion and tlio amond- • inenti had been - further' ' the. .chairman put the amendment, whioh '; was lost-: —(lii favour r.Cook,'Nicholson, 'Pell, Ker, Eddy; against: C. ; Johnston, Boon/.-White,. Cooper, Eeogh, .- Jolinstone,- Adair, trßruce, Laracy, :i tMoriaxtj' Grayndler.) , I .- Mr. 'Monarty then moved, as;a fur-: 1 ther amendment, and Mr. Laiacy ;>yiyi-''~'se6onded,'/'^iat:all'the.'classes of; work-. ers icompnsefl m the unions named in "s'j.-'i..-Clause,.l are amalgamation,'. , ; ' , and that tliisV conference, setraboutyob-: / ?v-i ( taming such amalgamation."--Tins was earned unaiiunoaisly ~. ■ •: Mr. T. Robmson 'snggested that,. as ?y iyy:confereiicexcbnld ■v-Workers.at. the.present stage, perhaps' • : 7.7 they wpiild prefer.him'to retire.' „ y y ITho' prosuent': aiid. delegates assured : ; ' , y'3lr.''Robinson. thai " iheywould'} nnich-.' '.'-prefer.;liiiii' to st-aj'/"so that he.might;be able to hear the-.dehberations of the: ;■ comhinod and report person-" o-Syy i' ally:;t-o' hisfeUoTv-workera - the .unanimity - and , enthusiast "ivith-. which tlio - flax- - -workers, -would ibe'-wclcomed into .'this <unalgama±ion. -

NEWS AND NOTES*