Shearing throughout the pastoral districts is steadily getting into full swing. The Federal Arbitration Court awarded a slightly lower wage than did the Queensland Industrial Court, but the decision of the latter only applied to its. own State. The general executive of the Union controlling shearing tried to enforce' the Queensland award throughout the Commonwealth, and this is the dispute which is slowly solving _1t-self. The President of the Union, who happens to be a member of the Federal Parliament, has rashly given notice of a motion that the Federal award be reheard. To carry such a resolution would be, of course, the last and convincing nail in the coffin of compulsory arbitration. It would place a temporary parliamentary majority over the head of the judiciary, or at least one of the instruments of the judiciary.
Meanwhile the pastoralist organization are prosecuting and securing heavy fines against all those who in newspapers or by word of mouth do something in the nature of a strike, that is advise men not to work under an award of the court. There is no doubt the leaders are weakening. The shearers make splendid money, and they are accepting work. The official position was shown to be desperate the other day when a number of pastoralists received forged letters, nominally front their own organization, telling them that they had better do the best they could, as the men had won. LEveny week fresh lists of sheds which are shearing under the award are published, but one of the hardest knocks of all has been the serious statement that, with machine shearing, one experienced man can: teach some 30 youths up to a stage of reasonable efficiency within 10 days. The shearing dispute may be considered over, but what is more important the vindication of compulsory arbitration, as fair to both sides in an industrial dispute, seems to be complete.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.