Mr. Laracy asked that the Federation co-operate with the Shearers’ Union in the production of one paper. We fully discussed the suggestion with Mr. Laracy, and eventually it was agreed that the Federation guarantee its proportionate share of the cost of three issues, and that at the end of that time the matter be further considered. This decision forced our hands to some extent, and was later on to make our task more difficult than it would otherwise have been through our premature advent into the newspaper world.
The conditions laid down to the Shearers’ Union in return for the Federation’s support of “The Maoriland Worker” were that the paper must advocate the policy of the Federation and that the Shearers’ Union would have to ballot its members on the question of joining the Federation of Labour.
At the end of the third issue of the paper the members of the Paper Board met the Shearers’ Executive in Christchurch. So far as the shearers were concerned, their financial position would not allow of them carrying on any further. Their career as newspaper proprietors had ended. In fact, if it had not been for the generosity of the Federation, they would have been finished after the first issue.
The Federation’s representatives offered to take over the paper as it stood, less the shearers’ liabilities, shift it to Wellington, and appoint its own editor. To this the strongest possible objection was raised, particularly by Mr. Laracy, who wanted the Same representation as the Federation on the Board of Management without contributing to the paper’s capital account. We wrangled for two or three days, and eventually submitted our ultimatum to the shearers to either accept our proposals or we would
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