SHEARERS' CONFERENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 37, 7 August 1911, Page 5

SHEARERS' CONFERENCE

SOME RESOLUTIONS.

By Telegraph—Pre** Association. ' Wellington,, Last Night The Shearers' Conference has cmeluded. Mr. A. J. King presided. In his official report, the general ' secretary stated that records supplied by the late general secretary showed s that Canterbury members totalled 1120, - Wellington 074, Otago 750, Marlborough, ' 450, Gisborne and East Coast 286; a total of 3589. The total was correct, but he wag not sure of the accuracy of , the allocation to the different district*

and the figures were not classified as to shearers and shed hands. Wellington ,'■' certainly had over 1000 membera. The election of officers resulted!— President, Mr. A. J. King; vice-presi- ' - denta, Messrs. Boon, Town+end, and Morgan; general returning officer, Mr. '"• C. McLaren; trustees, Messrs. Tdwaaend and C. Johnston; finance committee, ,'j Messrs. Purvis, King and Fitzgerald? . ' 1 representatives on the executive of tte ,'} Federation of Labor, Messrs. King, W. \ Johnstone and Laracq; representatives v> on the newspaper board, Messrs. C. John- 'A ston and Laracq. ,••"! The following resolutions were carried: , -ji That rule 53, providing for the appoint- M ment of organisers, be adhered to; that tM a balance-sheet be printed and copies dietributed to the shearing sheds; that shed -fj representatives receive 5 per cent, com- fj? missidn on gale of tickets; that ntembctt .. $$ holding more than «one pea in sfcegto VJ starting on or about the, same date fined; that inspectors, other than poHee, ■ j be appointed to inspect accommodation; • y that contributions for heepitala, efce., :$ should be sent through the union; that r-- J when shearers are engaging stands the. '*'| words "one pound per hundred" be in- , :; 1 serted in the engagement in lieu of- - 1 "award rates"; that rule 99 in regard '' *: to wide combs and cutters be strictly ad- .'' hered to; that representatives at Urn -.1: conference remain as at present provided \. ; I for in the rules of the association. *" ' ? I Mr. Laracq was appointed general or- ]•' | ganising secretary at £4 10a per week, ' '* with ilermission to render what assist- -4 ance he can in regard to getting adver- ''-') tisements for the Maoriland Worker. ,'.jj and to procure at 'his own expense such J;j clerical assistance as he needed when ~'-J absent from Christchurch, and that the * head office of the Shearers' Association i be in Christchurch. It was resolved that '•'' the next conference be held at the usual '»l time (April) in Wellington. ~.l The balance-sheet for The Maoriland ■ > Worker for Septcm|ber, 1910, to Feb- -\ ruary 28, 1911, whilst under the control J of the Shearers' Association, was re- } t ~- oeived' and adopted. The halance-slhoet *. •; Showed that 4006 copies of the paper had £ been sold to miners and 4000 to shearers ■ ,'1 at 3d per copy per month, and that these ■.'.}s sales, with other subscriptions and dona- -*ij (Horns, left a net profit on six months ,* operations of £9B, which was deducted 1 in equal pert from the sale money of 4 miners and shearers. A motion to se- ■ ,?{ cede from the Federation of Labor waa ■*} carried, but was afterwards rescinded, ? and the following motion carried in- ■; stead: "That instead of a plebiscite be- } ing taken on the question, of secession from the Federation of Labor, a plebto- \ cite be taken in the shearing season, io < i ascertain if the members of the assnekk , „ t tion approve of the policy and-general '",'£ conduct of The Maoriland.. Worker or- '\* otherwise, and that this conference de- <; cides that the present subscription oJ 10s for shearers and 5s for shed hands '!

will not allow the association paying more than Is per inembeT per annum to ■} the Federation of Labor. The motion

was discussed at length by the various ' delegates, and it wa» .agreed that flwre was no "split" at nil between the <j miners! and shearers, and that the differ- :'& ences of opinion that existed related ■:? merely to the amount of the contribu- ' ■$ tion and to the l methods of expounding * the policy of the paper and its general , f tone. 1 The conference placed on record its approval of the mariner, in which Mr. ,; Larac<| conducted the shearers' dispute and of the stand taken bv the executive .

to get the rate of £1 per hundred paid to shearers.

The following remit was sent in by the Canterbury branch: !That a manifesto be issued to the members from the conference that the union rate for all shearing be .CI per 100, and that this price be strictly adhered to." After a

lengthy discussion it was unanimously , . ! resolved that the general secretary be instructed' to seek legal advice from Mr. P. J. O'Regan, solicitor, ve issuing a manifesto, stating that the conference of ' shearers' delegates pledged itself unaai- \ monsly not to 'become workers within the meaning of the Arhitratdon Act at I less than £1 per 100 for shearing, and strongly urged all members not to be- ' ,' come workers utuler th<> shearers' award *V? and Arbitration Act at less than £1 per 100 during the coming season." It waa ~tf urged that inasmuch as no-ehfiariqpww being done now the members of Uie as- :-;| socintion were not "workers" witirin the.-' -^ meaning of the Act. In order to be : % "workers" within- the meaning" of the " „■*s Act, members must be actually employed'- .' / in the industry at the particular time ' f when they were considered to be ',! "workers," and that therefore by issuing such a manifesto before shearing opera- • -h tions commenced the Association waß not acting in contravention of the "strike •'( clauses" of the Act, and of the shearW ~ -' award. At a later stage, Mr. OTUgan'g ,' letter of advice was received express- ~* ing the opinion that the association'a "i: contentions in this respect were sound ''; in law, i.e., that obviously there could '^ be no discontinuance of employment'tifll '•'■ employment had commenced," and no , # breach of contract of service, because at ' t ,i' present no contract of service existed, '"i and therefore it was obvious that at \'! present (out of the shearing season) no & unlawful sitrike of shearers could take < a place, so long as the union did not ia J its manifesto counsel (he discontinuance |J of shearing after sheafing had actually commenced it was on safe legal " ground. It was also resolved to reoom- • \ mend that members should endeavor to ';? obtain the minimum for crutahins of 4s ' " per 100.