ARBITRATION COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1921, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

THE SHEARERS’ AWARD, CLAIM AND COUNTER-PROPOSALS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, August 25. The Arbitration Court continued the hearing of the shearers and shed-bands’ dispute.

The counter-proposals as to wages, etc., are as follow (the employers’ proposals are given in parentheses):— Shearing by hand, £1 5s per 100, with rations (£1 with rations); by machine, £1 15s per 100 ( £1); lambs,*£l 15s per 100 (£1); allowance of 6s per 100 to be made in cases where men find themselves in rations (4s), the rate for stud sheep to 'be determined between the employer and the shearer on the work; shearing rams over six months and double-fleeced sheep, double ordinary rates (hogget, rams, rate and a half,, other rams double rates). The union* claimed a 44-hour week, to be worked between the hours of 7.30 a.m. and 5.30 pan., with two breaks iof half-an-hour and one of an hour, from Monday to Friday, inclusive, and from 7.30 aan. to noon with half-an-hour’s break on Saturday.

The employers proposed that the : hours of shearing should be from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. with intervals to be agreed upon; that shearing should stop at 4 p.m. on Saturdays, except when hours and twenty minutes’ work had been done before noon, hi several respects the proposals and counterproposals are much the same and in addition to many minor matters the proposals and counter-proposals had reference to matters dealt' with by the advocates for the shearers and the employers in their address to the court. The union proposed that the award should come into force from September 1, 1921. and continue in force until February 28, 1923, but the employers asked that the award continue in force till February 28, 1924. The employers’ ease was opened by Mr. Nicholson, who said that the employers, in view of the special rates given in times of abnormal conditions, now felt justified in asking for a sub stantial reduction in the rates under the present circumstances, for the industry was not in a position to pay those rates winch had been the rule during the commandeer period. Unless a substantial improvement took place the majority of sheep • farmers must soon become bankrupts. The, primary producer of necessity must be; the first to feel the effect of a drop in | prices and it was only natural tlurt, the labor employed must be affected ’ in sympathy. They had unfortunately [ reached a position in the sheep indus- j try that had no parallel in the history I of the Dominion and no useful purpose •’ could be gained by’ camouflaging the i position. Money was not procurable ■ from the' pi’oduce in sufficient quantity to pay the rates that were made possible only by the high prices received during the commandeer period and it was absolutely necessary that shearers, and shed-hands with the ether workers must bear their share of the burden that was thrown on the country by a disastrous drop in the values of wool and live stock. Proceeding in detail Mr. Nicholson said a large number of shearers had called on him expressing their satisfac- ( tion at the terms offered by the sheep owners which they regarded as fair! and reasonable in view of the prices of ; wool and stock. The increase asked for | bv all workers would mean an addition- ( al £150,000 in wages yearly and it was evident that the sheep owners could not face such a bill to-day. The ease for the union was of a negative character and in no instance was real justification for the demands shown. In the evidence given by several sheep farmers who corroborated the opening statements of Mr. Nicholson, it was stated that the average price of wool in the Wellington district was now per lb. Witnesses disclaimed any knowledge until they came to Wellington that the shearers desired shorter hours. The court, reserved its decision.