Pastoralists and Shearers.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6025, 24 March 1891, Page 2

Pastoralists and Shearers.

WHAT THE PASTORALISTS SAY. A prominent pastoralist, speaking on the situation, says : — " We are conscious of the fact that the public have an idea that if a conference were held the affairs would be settled amicably and some compromise arrived at. Now this is a mere delusion. Still, as a concession to public opinion, we will, if permitted by those at the head of our affairs in the southern colonies, hold a conference, that is provided we are asked to do so. At the same time we are firmly resolved that if a conference is held it must be on the understanding that freedom of contract is admitted as a basis. Then wo will discuss the details of an agreement, and, the other pastoralists being agreeable, would have a clause inserted, if wished, stating that we will not employ Kanakas or Chinese, except those Chinese casually engaged as gardeners and cooks. We must insist on our liberty to employ Chinese, in those cases. I discharged my Ciiinese gardener some time ago, and X cannot get a white man to take his place, consequently I have no vegetables on the station. I also discharged my Chinese cook two weeks ago, and I have had three white cooks sinee — duffers every one. I have no fondness for Chinese cook 3or gardeners if the white men would do their work, but here the whites are to independent to -do thai; sort of thing. God knows, I would much prefer to employ men of my own race, but if you cannot get them what are you to do ? No we must insist on this liberty, and otherwise -we will guarantee not to employ them ; bufc, frankly speaking, a conference wilt not result in anything. We are willing to hold one simply to satisfy public opinion, bufc we are confident that it will be only a waste of time— only prolonging the agony. There will be verbose discussion with no results, and eventually considerable delay will ensue, and matters will be no farther advanced at the end. This is supposing a conference is held ; but considerable difficulty will have to be overcome before that stage is reached ; so much, indeed, that I am doubtful— extremely doubtful— whether we will ever reach it. Still we do not wish it to be asserted that we are standing in the way of a possible, though not probable, settlement, and so I and others are agreeable to hold a conference. At the same time, we think that the only way out of the present unsatisfactory situation is to introduce more free labor, and look upon this as the only means of bringing the unionists to their senses at present, They naturally think we are afraid to do so, and our backwardness in doing so is only encouraging them to hold out and deluding them with false hopes of victory in the end." Such are the views of one who may be said to give voice to the opinion of the majority of the pastoralists in his district, and wh» one of the most popular employers of labor in Queensland. WHAT THE UNIONISTS SAY. As you enter the Sandy ;C^pek camp, and your mission becomes JcrioiTn, unpleasant glances are thrown upon \^ou, a low rumbling murmur goes round/an^-a crowd gathers round you ; but they*pip orderly, being evidently well disciplined by their leaders, and you are soon left nlone with one or two 'of them. The latter, having overcome their reluctance to talk, then freely express their opinion of the situation. The great bugbear is freedom of contract. "We will never," said one leader, "agree to shear for the pastoralists -whilst that principle is retained. You say to us, * Have not the squatters a right to employ anyone they choose to do their work V I say no. I might as well say that the sugar planters have that right. Can they employ colored labor ? Yet some men — Sir Samuel Griffiths,- for example, who will not concede the right of freedom of contract to the sugar planters— uphold it as applied to the pastoralists, and send troops with Kordenfeldt guns to uphold it. Why should it apply to one section of the community and not to another? You smile and say it is an absolute right, and that the employer, so long as he gives good wages and fair terms, should be at liberty to employ whom he chooses. Decidedly not ; that is simply absurd. It is limited, not absolute right- limited by the right* and well-being of others. It affects thousands of citizens outside the squatters. If we concede that principle, what is to prevent the squatter getting colored labor from China or India, or cheap labor from Italy or other parts of Europe, if he does not get sufficient free laborers in Tictoria ? He asserts that it does not require much skilled labor for the machines. Perhaps not, but the general community have a voice in this matter, or at least they ought to have. Look at it in another light You talk of freedom of contract. What is contract ? Does it not imply that both parties should have a voice in determining the terms of it ? Is it not mutual agreement ? But the pastoralists say to the other parties to the contract: : ' Here are the conditions set down under which you must work, and here is the rate we will pay you for the time being. Sign here.' And if the men won]t sign, then they say : 'Do you dare to dictate to u» 1 You won't sign ? Well, clear out. We'll get plenty of free laborers who will be glad to come to our terms.' " Another leader immediately took up the parable, and went on— "No, sir, the essence of the whole thing is this : thai the pastoralists are afraid of unionism, and niean to kill it if they can. We are prepared for any fate. We must win. They can pour in their city troops and their Nordenfeldt guns, and then we will win. "We are not afraid. These men (waving his hand to indicate the crowd of unionists) understand what it all means as well as we do, and they are prepared. We wish to do things peacefully ; we have no desire to fight and shed our fellow-men's blood, which it is not pleasant to think of. Bufc, if the worst comes to the worst — well, 'we hope things will not go so far. It is nolfc our intention to molest the • free laborers,' as you pressmen are fond of calling them. Our main object is to induce the pastoralists to grant a conference, and if they do not do so shortly it is possible that the men may get impatient. We want an unhampered conference. We can sit down and remain here for some months. Our expense is not great. Wo have to buy our own bullocks and kill them. We pay for them, too. We have our own store here, and those who have money c,an buy rations, and those who have none get them free; and we can afford to remain here for six months if necessary,"

Considerable excitement was caused in Kaiapoi on Friday by a visit from the igents of the Picturesque Atlas, who came accompanied by two Yankee waggon loads ■A the Atlas. As there are some sixty uibsoribers in the town, who all consider •.hemselves move or less victimised, the isents did not, by any weans, have ft >almy time of it in dumping the various ionsignments at their customers' doora; "t seems fhat the agents' advent was uinounaetl to the various subscribers on ?rid>vy by their each receiving a large sircular Retting forth in extensb the vari>Uß cases in which the Company had reioverecl, through the 11. M. Court, then? f laims from unwilling creditors.— Lytke)» on Vim**