ARBITRATION COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 September 1921, Page 4

ARBITRATION COURT.

MR. MeCULLOUGH’S RESIGNATION THE REASONS GIVEN. By Telegraph.—Preu Aisoclatfoa Christchurch, Last Night. In a letter to the secretary of the Alliance of Labor Conference. Mr. J. A McCullough makes known his reasons for resigning his position as the workers’ representative on the Arbitration Court. The Court’s decision to reduct the wages of shearers and shed handt 20 per cent, appears to him such a flag rant reversal of the Court’s pronounce ment to stabilise wages that his ordinary dissenting judgment is inadequatt to meet what he considers an absolub betrayal by the Court of the working people of the Dominion. He Refers tc the withholding of bonuses in order tc stabilise wages till April, 1922, and states that while not approving of the proposal as a whole, he was persuaded io accept it without dissent because h< had unbounded confidence in the promise of his two colleagues that it secur ed the workers absolutely against anj reduction of wages during that period It was “a gentlemen’s agreement,” and he had stated at several meetings that if a breach of the covenant occurred, as has now occurred, he would refuse any longer to be associated with a tribunal bo reckless of a promise made. He concludes: “I know that the expressions used in the stabilising pronouncement that the Court would not depart from it except where extraordinary circumstances were shown, may be used against me to prove that no such unwritten understanding as I allege wal ever made. I repeat with emphasis thia solemn undertaking was given to m®, and that it was this undertaking whicSß finally induced me to concur without open dissent in the withholding of the 5s bonus, and that it is a flagrant breach of this agreement which has compelled me to take the step I have done in sacrificing the position I have always been proud to occupy. But again, even assuming tliat the written pronouncement alone is considered, no justifying extraordinary circumstances whatever were shown to have arisen since the making of it. On the contrary, wool prices are now higher than they were then. SHEARERS’ AWARD. Wellington, Sept. 7. . The shearers’ and shed hands’ awarct has been filed. The Court was divided, but ultimately Mr. Scott concurred with the President’s decision. The award provides for adding to shearers’ present rates the accumulated bonuses and for deducting 20 per cent, from the total, leaving the average shearer or shed hand with his relative increase over the period of the year on the same scale as workers in other industries as well as giving him a reasonable allowance to meet the increased cost of travelling and maintainence. If the average shearers’ output is taken as 450 sheep per week his earnings will now be £5 18s 6d, instead of £6 15s, a reduction? of 16s fid weekly. Mr. M. J. Reardon has been summoned to fill Mr. McCullough’s place on the Arbitration Court} in the meantime.