THE PEARL FISHERIES

New Zealand Mail, 27 August 1902, Page 23

THE PEARL FISHERIES

WHITE v. BLACK LABOUR. MELBOURNE, August 21. Judge Dasliwood’s report on the pearl-lisliing industry deals exhaustively with the history and prospects of pearling. Regarding the question of tihe employment of white labour, to settle which the Commission was appointed, the report states that the great majority of the witnesses examined considered that the industry could not be carried on by white crews and divers. The Judge gives it as his opinion that with a substantial advance in current wages and improved accommodation, it was possible, notwithstanding the unnatural life, that whites might be oU tained to undertake the work, but lie was satisfied that the trade could not be profitably carried on. This applied to the Thursday Island fisheries. As regards the Port Darwin fisheries, there had practically never been any white labour there, and the evidence was all one way. If the boat owners were compelled to employ whites, the industry would he extinguished. The Judge declares that there is little prospect of the shellers carrying out their threat to withdraw their headquarters to Dutch New Guinea, which is altogether unsuitable.