TIMOTHEUS AND UNIONISM.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8121, 5 November 1894, Page 1

TIMOTHEUS AND UNIONISM.

TO TJIK KiMTOU. Sju, — That youi' coutiibutor would tail to annihilate anything tlub savors ot unionibin amongst bhc.u'orb I hilly expected, and his Litest contribution to tho columns of youi 1 journal amply satislios mo that my expectations have been realised. Ablor pens than his, however, have failed, when discussing thin question from a oimilar btandpoint to tlitvt a^umed by Tnnotheus ; therefore, he e;m fall back for consolation on tlio tacfc that failuro has not been for him only. At tho outlet ho implies thai to Mr Curtis I attribute the origin of the Queensland outrages, which shows at onco that Timotheus failed to read niy letter correctly, or ho would notice how 1 inferred that he would contend that Mr Curtis was tho individual responsible, seeing that ho was tho secretary of tho Amalgamated Workers' Union, and not Mr Sponco. Of eourbo all tho world knows by this timo who is to blamo, and you struck tho truth in a leading articlo somo tiitio ago when you stated to tho oliect that by bringing on auch an agreement, and refusing to hold a conference with the bhearoiy, tho Pay toralists' Union was rosponsiblo for all that would follow. Ho (Timothcus) miy not agroo with your opinion or ovoa my opinion of things, bub on perubing tho marvellous tales ho rolatcs may wo not expect opposition to everything reasonable 'I Can acquiescence to tho truth bo expected from tho individual who evolves events like tho following : " Unionist shearers forcibly ontored tho huts and scalped the manager." Thero is too much in ttio foregoing that has been called into existence through reading about Sioux Bill and other ludian braves. Therefore, it won't go down with tho general public as a lino talo of tho naughty Australian shearers. Hooner would people beliovo Timothoua capablo of writing tho ln- | goldbby Logonds, or Macaulay's Lays of Ancionb llomo, than that shearers stole " stoalthily, eilonbly, and surrcptiously " on to any manager for tho purposo of obtaining his, gory scalp as a trophy of war. Unfortunatoly for Timothous tho oablo managers on tho other tiido lnvo sent over news of the most trivial importance, but nowhere will you find it recorded aa stated by your contributor, bo in consequence hia character as a truthful reviewer is materially impaired. Without dwelling for any length of time on hia asauranco that tho shearing ia pro,

tera, I will quota a fow particulars to provo that the contrary ia tho caso. Ha ventures to str.te that if tho disputo wag left botwoon tho shearors and etationholdors booh everything would bo arranged in a very amicable manner for onco. I agroo with your contributor, and proceed to give my reasons for so doing. From Australian papers recoived a few days ago I learned that sheepowners are greatly dissatisfied with the Pastoralists' Union, ami state that whoa they joined it they had no idoa there was going to be any induction. " They wero also promised to bo bupplied with full boards of competent men, but whcriib camo to tho point they could only gob quarter boards and half boards, and thon mostly learners, tomahawkors, and odda and ends of all sorts, shapes, and sizes, many of whom never saw the wool taken off a shoep before Tho Pastoralists 1 Union jusb picks up any 'lumps of flesh ' that comes along, and shoots it off to tho sheds as a shearer." Anothec paper says, "Many sheopowners who were allured into joining tho Pastoralista 1 Union would willingly come to terras on a verbal agreement but for tho Pastoralibts 1 Union preventing them under tho bond. One leading sheopownor of Victoria (Mr Chirnsido), for instance, wan willing to settle at a verbal agreement, and wired to tho Pastoralists' Union for permission to do so, but they refused him. Ho thon wont to Melbourne to persuade them, but they hooted; him. On his return to tho station ho oxplai.ied tho position to tho men on striko,, and said 'They (meaning the Pastoralists.* Union) have me Una time, but never agvin/" Another account states thafj " Shcepownors whoso sheds are on strike have boon backwards and forwards to Melbourne to get permission to make terms, but the swallow^tailod bank wirepuller that aro running tho Pastoralists* Union brutally bcout all .such proposals." So from tho foregoing Tnnotheus will observe that ho was near tho truth when stating to the oil'oct that if left to themselves shearers and statiouholdcrs would amicably sottlo mattois. But, says youc contributor, in order to maintain " tha occupations of Messrs Speuco, O'J3rien, and others of thao stamp, it is necessary for tho purpose of their existence that they should liro tho shearers at intervals to striking and insurrection." Upon what grounds Timothous builds such an assertion most people will be at a loss to determine. As is well known Mr Spence over has deprecated striken, and in s, lecture delivered some time ago at Goul* bourn on "Tho Now Unionism," s, report of which was re-printed by sevoral Auslrali'iu papers, ho snid " What ho would impress oi his fellow-unionists everywhere was this : they should strike to m linlaiu their present position certaitily, and if possible improve it, bub Uu>y should not rush into struggles and btrikos. Let them organise, for the larger their organisation became tho fewer would tho strikes be." Respecting Mr O'Brioi), let Timothous get whoro thero is tho slightest sign of a shearing dispute, and wiro into tho head oilico for instructions. Then it is almost certain thab the reply will bo "Try and sottlo matters in an amicable manner," Moreover, many members of the New Zo iland Workers' Union aio ay/are of tho fact that the general secretary has been a staunch advocate of the Conciliation and Compulsory Arbitration Bill. Recently, too, in a letter to the Lyttelton Times, on tho Windsor Park shearing dispute, he deplores tho fact tint tho nbovo measure will not como into operation before January noxt. Sufficient has been written, I think, to show ho* fallacious are many of tho contentions adduced by Timothous in respect to Unionism, and now I would advise him to be liko thab son of tho Emerald Isle who, landing in Amoiica, enquired if there was a Government there. On being told thvt thoro was, ho btM, "Thin, bogorra, I'm agin it." Let Timotheus be "agin tho Government," and in timo he miy win a reputation as world-wido as tho famous George Aguscus Sala, or Stead of tho Review of Reviews. Bub whilo he attempts to demolish Unionism he will do nothing more than show to tho world tho •Ufliculty of tho task ho has undertaken. — 1 am, etc., Maokilamxek.

A merchant of Edinburgh was known to bo ;v l.ii'go fjlwroholdor in a certain •Scotch Imiiu. Tho b-vnk hul failod and guno into liquid ilion. A3 Scotch law nukes etch bluroholdor personally liablo for tho debts of a b.utk according to tho number of shares 110 holds, tho m«rclunt\i luunds fe.ircd that tho failure might ruin him. Ho was walking blowJy up tho streot two or thico d.iys aftur tho bank's f.tiluio, when <m old hiond mot him. Tho inorch.tnfc was moody, and his friend^ «ooing it, put hiu arm on his shouldor^ and sud, in most sytnp'ithic tones, "Oh, D.twvid man, I'm vory horry for yointlin busiuoss ! Thoy toll mo yo'ro brokon. Ls't truo?" "N:t, in, Tammas, yo'ro wrang," au.sworcd tho morcliant briskly, with a pioud slriko of bin head. "Yo cm toll thorn I'm no brokon yet, but I'm, gey sair cxvvckit.'