42 THE SHEEP AND WOOL INDUSTRY 



WORKING REGULATIONS. 



11. Before work is commenced lots will be drawn for the pens, and the 

 employee will abide by the. result of the drawing, but the overseer may make 

 any change as to the pens that he thinks fit. 



12. The employer will provide a minimum space of 5 feet for each shearer 

 on the shearing board in all sheds built since the award of I2th June, 1907. 



13. The sheep will be taken carefully by the employee from the pen to the 

 board, and he will take off the belly wool first, and lay it aside. 



14. In opening the fleece at the neck and the belly the machine or (if shears 

 are used) both blades of the shears will be kept under the wool, and close to the 

 skin, so as to avoid twice cutting, and the employee will not run the machine 

 or (if shears are used) shears through the fleece so as to break it down the centre 

 of the back, and shall not stand upon the fleece. 



15. If the employee badly cut a sheep, or if a sheep be insufficiently tarred, 

 the employee will at once sew and tar the cut, or dress the sheep as directed 

 by the overseer ; but in other cases the employee will not be required to tar 

 the sheep. 



16. The employee will not kick, kneel upon, or otherwise injure or illuse any 

 sheep, and if he seriously injure or illuse any sheep, or cut the teat of any ewe, 

 or the pizzle of any ram or wether, he will immediately report the fact to the 

 person in charge of the shed, and the sheep will, at the option of the employer, 

 be kept by the employer, or (if fit for food) will be charged to the mess account 

 at the mess rate, or (if unfit for food) against the employee at the mess rate. 



17. While his pen is being filled the employee will not catch any sheep there- 

 from, but will catch from such pen as the overseer may direct ; and the 

 employee will not catch any sheep or bring one on to the board after the signal 

 to cease work. The overseer will not permit any other employee to violate this 

 provision on his part. 



18. The shearing will be done between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (or such 

 other hours as may be agreed upon between the employer and the shed repre- 

 sentative or representatives as regards any paticular shed), and not later than 

 12 noon on Saturday, and the employee need not work for more than eight hours 

 forty minutes per day, or for more than 48 hours per week. 



But if ewes or lambs are in the pens awaiting shearing, the shearing may 

 be continued on Saturday after 12 noon for not more than half an hour, 

 with the consent of the claimant organization, expressed by its shed 

 representative (if authorized to consent), and so far only as may be 

 necessary for the purpose of shearing the said ewes and lambs. 



19. The employee may refuse to shear sheep 



(a) If they are cancerous or suffering from any offensive wound or sore 



or from any disease communicable to the shearer ; or 



(b) If the overseer and the shed representative or representatives agree that 



tire sheep are too wet to shear ; or 



(c) If, in the honest opinion of the employee, the sheep are so wet as to be 



likely to injure his health, and he inform the overseer to that effect ; or 



(d) If a majority of the shearers, by vote on a secret ballot, determine that 



the sheep are too wet to shear, and if under the rules of the organization 



