WHERE IS THE "PLENTY OF WORK FOR ALL"?

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1860, 20 September 1913, Page 13

WHERE IS THE "PLENTY OF WORK FOR ALL"?

Sir,—lt seems a great injustice and shame that after people havo been led to como to New Zealand by tho many inducements held out to them at Home that on arrival .here they should find the difficulty in obtaining employment thnt some of us experience. Is it right that Bflonje Homo should havo Rut

fieforo tligiii such glowing accounts of lifo out here, only to find out tlio l'alsoiipss of sonio of ilio tilings tliey have been led to believe, when they havo been hero for several months striving to obtain sufficient work to provide tbeni with the baro necessaries of life, and failed to do even that?

I can speak with some experience, as 1 came out from England about a yoar ago with my wil'o and two young children—not expecting great things, but at least expecting to bo able to earn bread. I had good credentials, had been in a position of trust with our firm for over sixteen years, had good commercial experience, knowledge of machinery of travelling, and of book-keeping, and yet I havo found it impossible to get any permanent work.

No doubt it is a serious drawback to a new-comer if ho has 110 friends or relatives out hero, and also, although tho Government are so anxious to get workers into the country, tlioy do not seem disposed to trouble themselves much with .helping them "to get work when they get them hero —or, at any rate, that appears to be so in my case, as, amongst tho many tilings that I liavo done to try. and obtain employment, I havo applied to various officials of the Government, telling them how I was situated, and that I should be only too glad of any kind of work, hut all to no purpose. Probably my ago tells against me in some cases (I am just on 40), and I daresay tho fact that I mil not able to do heavy "bullocking" work also tells against me, but if thero is no chance out hero for men liko myself to earn oven a bare living it would be much more straightforward to tell them so at Home.—l am, etc., KENTISH MAN.