The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1894.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 99, 26 April 1894, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1894.

- » , ■•■ For tho cans? that lacks assistance, For ths —Tons that needs resistance, F»r tht filtilr. in the dista_G.ce.And the good that ire can aa.

There is unfortunately considerable danger of a conflict between the pastoralists and shearers in New South Wales during the approaching shearing season. For a long time past the relations between the two bodies have been the reverse of amicable, and recent events have tended to widen the breach. The disastrous effects of the groat Australian shearing strike in 1891 . are still felt. Although the squatters scored a victory they only did so alter suffering heavy pecuniary losses, which have been more keenly telt owing to the long depression that has since ruled in the wool market. The temper of the pastoralist is not improved by the fierce attacks that have been made upon his order by a section of the press and by the labour members in Parliament. So far as the shearer is concerned his mood is not any more amiable than that of his employer. The imprisonment of some of the ringleaders in the shearing strike three years ago for' wanton destruction of station.property can be defended easily enough from a moral standpoint, but we can hardly expect a body of men, who had many real grievances to complain of, and whose feelings have, unfortunately, been played upon by political charlatans, to take an unbiassed view of such matters. Many of the shearers complained, no doubt, unreasonably, that the squatters were fay oured by the Government because of •heir wealth and social position. A great deal of this kind of talk was due to the natural exasperation of a defeated party, but while such feelings of mutual distrust continue there are always materials for an explosion, and a very trifling real or even imaginary grievance is likely to lead to a renewal of hostilities.

The immediate cause of the present agitation among the shearers is due to the action of the Pastoralists' Federal Council, which brought its deliberations to a close in Sydney a few days ago. There has been a growing conviction for a long time among the shearers that the squatters were bent on reducing the rates for shearing, and only awaited a favourable opportunity for carrying out their intentions. The proceedings of the Council have therelore been watched with jealous eyes by the Shearers' Union, which has not tailed to make known the determination of its members to resist the carrying out of any reduction scheme. Whether it was-the intention of.the Pastoralists' Federal Council to bring about a general reduction of shearing rates throughout Australia is not quite clear. No doubt some of the squatters favoured such a step, but

if the idea,was generally entertained, the impolicy of enforcing it under existing,.,•_ circumstancesM&was**. recog-Aised-and: more •'ftittderate counsels prevailed. One of the points in dispute between the two parties arises from the introduction of shearing machines, • which have been extensively used in New SoQth Wales during the last few years. It is asserted that at the rates hitherto paid, the men working at machine shearing have made higher wages than those employed in handshearing. The Council has therefore come to the decision to maintain the standard rate of -of 20s per 100 for hand shorn sheep, which has for many years been in force in New South Wales. In South Riverina the rate is fixed at 18s per 100 for hand shearing, but the Council states that in fixing tbe sum it is simply keeping to the rate that the squatters have hiiherto been accustomed to pay in that district. The rate for machine shearing has been lowered from £1 to 17s per 100 sheep, wh'ch the pastoralists claim is the proper standard to make the rate lor machine shearing correspond with that paid for hand-shearing.

On the face of the agreement there does not appear much to complain of, but like most compromises it tails to give entire satisfaction to either side. Many ol the squatters deem themselves aggrieved because the Council did not see its way to make reductions all round. Some of them do not hesitate to say they will ignore the scale fixed by the Council and make reductions on their own account. - The position they take is clear enough. They point out that pastoral interests have suffered greatly during the, last few years, that the price of wool is ruinously low, and that owing to the failure of financial institutions and other causes many squatters, have been brought to the verge of bankruptcy, and are now at the mercy of banking and mortgage institutions. Oneleading member of the order alluded to the fact that only the other day stock were sold at £2 10s to £3 per head, which a few years ago brought £7 or £S per head. Under such circumstances, and. especially at a lime when wages in all branches of industry have been lowered, some of the pastoralists maintain that the shearers have no just cause of complaint if they have to submit to a general reduction of rates that were deemed lair .and reasonable in more prosperous times.

It is, of course, to be expected that the shearers will view the matter in a different light. That there has been no reduction in the rates for handshearing in most parts of the colony they admit, but it is asserted that the reduced rate is to be made general in some districts where some of the squatters at any rate have paid hitherto at the rate of £i per ioo. The shearers say that South Rivenna, from its proximity to Victoria,.has been able to obtain large numbers of men from that colony, and thus to pay only ißs per ioo lor hand-shorn sheep, but that the Riverina squatters should not be allowed to take advantage of this circumstance and pay less ihan the general colonial rate. It is denied, too, that under the present tariff for machine shearing men will make as good wages as the hand workers. It is difficult for outsiders to form a lair judgment on the merits ot the case. There is some force in the contention of the pastoralists, many of whom are at present finding it •a struggle to keep their heads above water. Men are not disposed to be open-handed when menaced by banks and money-lenders. On the other hand, there is much to be s.*>id for the shearers, who lose much valuable time in passing from station to station, and whose earnings are often grossly overrated. As, however, the reduction is chiefly confined to machine workers, the threatened strike may be averted, and it the pastoralists honestly carry out their proposal, the Shearers' Union mavj ultimately agree to the scheme.