ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. THE AUSTRALIAN SHEARERS STRIKE.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8082, 21 September 1894, Page 4

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. THE AUSTRALIAN SHEARERS STRIKE.

N/ 9t9 t *.V ft* »■» A-## '£0 T«K JKDI'JCOU, Sm,— Daring Mo pw»ont Bheartng dispute, at Inborvala oablo , messages have appeared stating that) tbo shearers were perpotratlng all manner of out* rages. On tbo other band, tbo otriko leaders were strongly assorting In many of tho Australian labor papers that " euoh had boen dono by the enemies of unioMsmi in order to bring discredit on tbo union and tho otiose of tbo strikers." Tho General Seorotiary to fche Australian Workers 1 Uuion, in roforring to the discipline displayed by tho men at tho varioua oaraps, reoently said, " Our fellovra everywhere are bohaving splendidly, and are bo orderly in tho face of tho utmost provocation, that the polioe can iiod nothing to do, bo have to make work." I boo no reason to doubt tho statement of Mr Spenoe, as the Tolarno and Grassmere inoidents serve to show that the polioe nro not over particular, knowing, as thoy do, that tho money power of Australia will (junction any outrage they may obubo. With reference to the affair which happened at Tolarno, tho Oreowiok papor Informa us that " tho authorities provoked a disturbance tboro a few days ago. Tho police, oowardly and deliberately, shot dow,n six unarmod men, whose wounde are likely to provo fatal. They are at present in tho Wiloannia hospital." Now for another matter nob known by tbo generality of tho New Zealand public In the Australian colonies tho Govornraonfc Labor Bureau have rendered a big service to the PaeboralIsift' Union in endeavoring to swell the number of Itta Üborera in country dtetrioty. Consequently, tnmatoa of benevolent aaylump, gaol birds of every description, frequenters of Sydney Book, and in fact the okum of AusfcraHun oitioß, havo obtainod free passos to sheds. On their arrival at stations the uttor ueoleenoose of euoh obaraotors has boon discovered, and neodless to state, in vary many insbanoea they have boon diuoharged, Therefore, the oouotry dietriots have beoome infested with a olsbb of peoplo, who, while in Sydney, Melbourne, or Adelaide, were eubjoot to flurvolllanco, Tho quoation whioh naturully arieeo to tho mmda of moot people io, are such creatures, after boing discharged by the Bquabtere, llkoly to become more honest roaming a^oufj tho oouotry than when they hanntot) tbo Blunaa of a city 1 I four mo not. Boodored eavago by tbo manner in which they Imagine bherabolvcb to havo been cjuped hy Whitely King, is it exaggeration to doolare that hie former proboges are in many Inetancoa tho porpebrabors of outrages, now atbribubod to unionist. Further, Is it in any dogroo roieleading to obate, that when many of theso free laborers loft for thecounb'y, the authorities wero Bora bh«b they would commit) aay do(tl from pUch and totia to manslaughter. But the ualonioto on otriko would bo blamed. A Melbourne paper, not lorn? alnoe, .told of a blaokleg from Adelaide, who wao pllforing, and nearly killed the policeman who tried to capture him. I£*d 1b been a union shearer, the o*blo would havo recorded tho matter os an outrage, so as to show tho ferocity of uniornisbß, Wo also wero informed, that previous bo tho doparturo of blacklegs from New Zealund, one or bwo of them were arresbod for robbery. These are the kind of , men who reach fibeda, get sacked, and commit all manner of illdeods, and tho ftbjgmo. of it is past upon unionists, I« it not strauge, think you, that seeing ho macy burglars, tbioves, and ofchor dier?patable characters havo been sent up oounlry by Whitely King and his BgonH yet the cable has nob recorded one of them as a (roo labor outrage 1 Why ?— I am, etc, J. O'Bkien.