WORK AND WAGES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5068, 29 September 1894, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES.

■ ■ ♦ [[Special to Peesb Association/} NEWCASTLE, Sept. 28. I There is a disturbed feeling among the northern miners in consequence of a report that the owners intend to further reduce | the hewing rates by Is 6d per ton in January. SYDNEY, Sept. 29. The Shearers' Strike, One station in the Inverell district has j started shearing under an amalgamation I of the old and new agreements, which was I arrived at after a short conference between I the owners and the men. I BBISBANE, Sept. 29. j Measles has broken out in the police 1 camps in the shearing districts. 1 The official reason given for declaring the ' strike off is thatthe shearers consider they have won a fair advantage this year, and that it is neoessary to prepare for another tu-Ble with the employers in the near • future. A Union Statement. I A meeting of the committee of the New Zealand Workers' Union was held last night, when a report was made by Mrs Garmson, who had been sent as delegate on board the s.s. Hauroto on the trip of that vessel to Sydney with non-unionists engaged by the Pastoralists' Union to shear in Australia. She said that there were about one hundred and fifty of these men on board ths Hauroto when she left Lyttelton, tut seventy-five of these were persuaded to leave the ; steamer at Wellington. Sixty-four went ito Sydney, but by persuasion and ; sarcasm, she induced thirty-one of these jto go over to th» union, bo that only I thirty-three were left to go shearing. j These men were certainly not treated by [ Mr Whiteley King's agent as if they were " free" labourers. The steamer anchored 1 out at Coogee, so as to prevent any of j them getting ashore. They were taken I off in a tug to Chowder, a secluded place !on the harbour far from the town. There I they were taken to a public-house and ' shut in one of the rooms, while the agent i stood guard outside. A dinner of corned | beef, potatoes and water was served to them. 1 and at this meal, fn spite of all the pre- ; cautions, a unioa man sat down and j found out where! they were going to. After dinner the agent divided a stick of j tobacoo between every three and a box of I matohes between two. They were taken 1 to Redfern EailwayStation at eight o'clook I at night, under police escort, and were put : into a van of the kind used for conveying prisoners, and bearing the words "Prison- ; era' Van." This was placed out on the line between two platforms. Two Unionists got into the van, and were nob discovered till they had found out all they wanted to know. The men went to work without being molested in any way, and, after three days, were "sacked" for incompetence. At some of the principal Bheds the pastoralists, after holding out for a day or two, finding that the shearers, would not give in, declared the etrike off, and employed the Unionists, in some cases on verbal agreements, and in others on the Conference agreement of 1891. At other sheds the pastoralists would hold out, asd send to Mr Whiteley King for non-unionists to shear. Mr King i would always send up some men, but these I were not shearers ; the employers soon I had to "sack" them, andthe Unionists ! would then go ia shearing on their own I terms. The discharged men, many of j whom were low characters, would be let loose on the country, without any means ; of living. They would take to plundering, ! burning, dr anything in the way of mischief that came in their way. Hence I arose the outrages whicb had been attriI buted to the Unionists. At one station lin the Hay district a gang of dismissed non - unionists raided the ! union camp, stole the provisions, and then looted the station. Mrs Garmson said that she was in charge 'of the Australian Workers' Union ofiice at Sydney for ten days, and all the reports and correspondence passed through her hands, so that she had ample opportunity of ascertaining the true position of affairs. At the re-4uest of Mr W. W. Head, the Secretary of the Union in Sydney, she wrote out a leaflet advocating the organisation of clerks, shop assistants, servant girls and employes of all kinds. When she arrived in New Zealand she was surprised to find that a cablegram had been sent to the papers here, stating that the local agent of the union -at Sydney had issued an " inflammatory I manifesto." She was quite sure thiß was the one she had written, because Mr Head had no intention of issuing any manifesto, and if he had, he would not have had the time to do so, for not only was he ocoupied with the union business, but he was secretary to. the New Australia Association. The officers of the union did not know who had issued the inflammatory placard purporting to be issued by the Union, advocating burning, shooting and other outrages. They had tried to get the Sydney papers to publish their denial of the authorship, but the papers would not do so. Nothing had appeared in the Australian paperß about the incendiarism reported by the cable in the New Zealand papers. The only outrage known in Auetralia seemed to be the burning of the steamer Rodney on the river Murray, and the Unionists had no idea who had done it. Mrs Garmson said that when she left Sydney on Sept. 19 the Unionists were winning steadily. Not more than 10 per cent of the shedswere working under the now agreement of the pastoralists. The Unionists considered the victory so far gained that it was not worth while sending delegates on the steamers .which henceforth leave New Zealand for Australia. At the same time they would watoh the ports.