THE AUSTRALIAN SHEARERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LII, Issue 5163, 9 June 1891, Page 4

THE AUSTRALIAN SHEARERS.

Mr J. 3- McDonald, tbo Australian shearers' delegate io New Zealand, was m ter<-iewed at Auckland, and gave tho shearer.' version of the presr-nt dispute betweon tbem and the Equatters. He eaid m the course of the interview : — The main cause of the disturbance is not so much as to 'he pric.s for shearing or the conditions, all of which have been practically admitted by the Pnstoralisls' Union to be quite fair, aB to the working hours, and several other rules about fines, &c. The Btand which the pastoraliats tako alpresent is tbat wo should work with nonunionist?. When this "freedom of contract " proposal was first put forwurd it included the racial question, and would have necessitated tho bh.arers working, eating, ond sleeping with Chinese and Kanakas. This haa been modified, the racial question Jiits been excluded, and tbe modi-fi-d ogreement was submitted to • •«.' ballot of these who struck m Quconclanci, when 98 per ceit, voted against it. ihe unionist view af thi. " freedom of contract " is that it would mean the breaking up of their Association, which has actually gained for them from 25 to 30 per cent on the shearing pricea paid m the pre-union days. Freedom of contract also means dealing individually with the men, and it is this individual com petition and the inherent Belfi.huess of mankind that have reduced labour m all its branches to ita present state. The position at the present time is, that there are only. 1000 shearers employed, whereas io six weeks' time 10,000 will be required. The pastoraliats have purged tbe southern colonies of all tbe available free labour, and it is only a question of timo — the wool must come off, or the pastoralistg will be ruined. The Governments of New South Wale 3 and Queensland have the settlement of the dispute m their own hands. If they would compel Ibe paatoralists to meet urn ond disensa (he "iree<iom of contract " question, I am certain an agreement would be arrived at. 'Iho whole trouble is that the pnst_ratistß wi*h us to con-' cede the " freedom of contract " point before meeting ua: As I said lam confident tbat an agreement would be arrived at, ber.-sii?e we »re not afraid to work with non-uoionisiß What would a pa ; fcry thousand of them bto ten thousand of us, and besides, the best __bour must always bave the preference.