MAORI SHEARERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5667, 11 September 1896, Page 5 (Supplement)

MAORI SHEARERS.

Mr Ormond, on behalf of the squatters of Hawke's Bay, has (says the Napier News) from his seat in the Legislative Council, explained the position taken up in this district with regard to Maori shearers in such unmistakable terms that' he who asserts in the future that pakeha shearers are not being displaced in favour of Maoris for political reasons can be faced with the following irrefutable evidence of the fact. Speaking on the Shearers Accommodation Bill, Mr Ormond said :— "When many of the sheep-farmers found they were annoyed by the visits of the police officers, they said, ' Well, how can we get out of this ? We do not care about this Mnd of thing, and there is no necessity for being harassed in this way.' Then this is what they did: " They knew that in their climate the practice which was in vogue of using tents in the summer time was infinitely more healthy, and preferable in every way, to any accommodation mentioned in this Bill, and instead of employing European shearers, they took on Natives in their places, and the result was that tinder the provision of last year the Natives absorbed about a third of the shearing of Hawke's Bay. They had taken it away from the European people who used to have it ; and he predicted that if this kind of legislation was extended the employment of more of the European shearers would go in the same way, thereby causing the greatest possible injury to the very people whom this Bill professed to protect. * * * He knew many who had always employed Europeans then gave them up and employed Natives, and he knew many more who were going to do the same thing this year." We trust that the white electors will treasure these- sentiments in their memories, and before election day comes round — which may be much sooner than is popularly supposed— they will not forget to ask Captain Russell, Mr Hunter, et hoc genus omne, a few pertinent questions as to their individual views on this particular subject.