THE SHEARER’S DISPUTE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, 21 January 1908, Page 5

THE SHEARER’S DISPUTE.

■ - Press Association. Wairoa, Last Night. A meeting held at Fraser town'on Saturday formed a "Strong farmers* Union, and struck a levy fight the . shearers in the Arbitration Court. A meeting was also held to start freezing works at Waikokopu or Wairoa and a strong committee was formed to collect data. j] The members of the Conciliation Board—Mr P. J. O’Regan (chairman) and Messrs A. Collins and A. H. Cooper (employees’ rerpesentatives) and H. Inues ana F. Bedford ( employers’ representatives)—met in Wanganui yesterday and held a short meeting in connection J?ith the shearers’ dispute. The chairman, in opening the proceedings, stated that a conference was going to be held in Palmerston, and it wks hoped that a satisfactory agreement would he made. Under their constitution it was "provided that the Board could adjourn proceedings at any time if they thought there was a chance of an amicablesettlement being arrived at, and at , Palmerston it was decided to adjourn in favour of the conference. The * Board were allowed three months in which to deal with a dispute after it had been filed, and a month of that time had now elapsed, so that, if a conference was to be held it would need to take place within three weeks, to give the Beard time to hear the case in the event of a settlement not being arrived at. • Mr J. O. Cooper pointed out that most of the owners in Wanganui district were small flock holders, and that they did not compare with the large owners of Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa. The Union had had little representation there, and he hoped they would have the conference fully representative of the district. Mr Abbott said that Friday, 31st inst., was suggested as the date for the conference at Palmerston. t,#"' Mr Cooped stated that the Farmers’.' Union met cji Thursday, the 30th, and they their hest to ar- . 4 range a suitatiifS date. V.