Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1887. RUNHOLDERS AND THE SHEARERS UNION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1617, 23 July 1887, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1887. RUNHOLDERS AND THE SHEARERS UNION.

On Friday last we published the resolutions passed by the Amuri Sheep Farmers' Association re the Shearers Union, We did not comment on them at the time as our attention was drawn to other matters. The action of the Association, however, is of such grave import at the present time that it must not be allowed to pass without notice. To our mind the resolutions betray a greedy grasping, tyrannical spirit. The shearers have surely as much right as any other, class to combine for the protection of their own interests .and to fix the price at which they will work or rather, under which they will refuse to work. Most trades have their own "Union," the members of which agree not to work at less than a certain rate of wages j and yet, because the shearers have done so, the Amuri sheep far men pledge them* selves not to employ any member of the Shearers' Union either m shearing or any other work. This is a tremendously heavy penalty for obeying the first law of nature — self protection, and would lead any thoughtful reader to arrive at the conclusion that the offence of being a Unionist is only made as' a pretext for carrying out some sinister design — so sinister as to need a '• buffer." What this is a subsequent resolution informs us. The third resolution passed is m effect that a deputation be appointed to ascertain the cost of bringing Kaffir shearers from South Africa, "as it is understood that good shearers are paid there six shillings per hundred." Great Coesar ! and has it come to this, that these " wool lords " have resolved to employ no more European labor —that they would deny to the European son of toil the chance of obtaining what they themselves enjoy — smiling homesteads of their own, that m their haste to pile up riches they are willing to sacrifice the best interests of our population, for the contamination and demoralizing effects of intermingling with an inferior race are but too well known. In concluding we cannot do better than quote the remarks of the Auckland "Evening Bell," when writing on this subject : — " Now, this showing of their hand by the Canterbury runholders has come very opportunely. Those wretched parasites on the public lands of New Zealand exist only for- themselves, and have not a public principle higher than their own greedy self-aggrandisement. They succeeded ten years ago m robbing the people by having their runs renewed, m spite of the indignant outcries of the people of New Zealand. If they succeed m their present attempt to regain power the very first use that will be made of it-»as everyone knows —will be to renew those leases of their runs for a similar period \ and this concerted effort to crush the laboring classes of the colony by the importation of bl&ck laborers, shows the use to which they will apply their monopoly of the land. We call on every true Liberal m Auckland to make a note of this ; we ask every member of the working class, and everyone that sympathises with them m the struggles to live m these hard times, we especially call on the Trades Unions to note the indecency of this attempt to introduce black labor on the part of those who are now asking the people, by their votes, to restore |hera to power, and give them the opportunity so long abused by them during the Continuous Ministry, of playing ducks and drakes with the public moneys and the public lands. Let it be borne m mind that the HallOrmond party who are now trying to bamboozle electors to give them votes, are the very parly of Canterbury runholders who have resolved to give no more work to European laborers, but are arranging to bring into the colony shiploads of black Kaffirs from Africa." We heartily endorse our contemporary's remarks, and trust that the working men throughout the colony will, on polling day, bear m mind this astounding proposal which strips the masks from off Freetraders.