CHEAP LABOR.

Evening Star, Issue 4015, 8 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHEAP LABOR.

To the Editor. Slß,—ln your issue of Wednesday last, “ One of the Finn of Heed and Brett,” the proprietors of tho proposed new evening paper, essays an expl nation of the means by which they obtained the Provincial Government printing. To quote your correspondent’s own words ; "We got the contract (as Government contracts ar« usually said to be given) becauseour tender was the lowest, and that by a very large . amount. ’ Now, sir, I am in a position to know that hitherto the contract prices for the Pi ovi c al Government printing have been so low that it has been scarcely worth the having, and yet “ One of the Firm of Keed and Brett ’ acknowledges that their temler was the lowest by a large amount What does tins show? Just what die compositors of Dunedin have been trying to e plain to the public. That is, that the proprietors of the prop sed new evening paper have c .me here from Auckland with the.-xpreS'dtftei initiation of attem <t ing to injure the printing trade by intiolacine a system of cheap 1 ,bor. I nee ■ say no more on this bead, as the thing must be patent to the most unsophisticated. With regard to the clap-trap about “ goodlooks,” “ Highland dings,” and “ bag pipes,” that may be passed by for what it is worth ; but if such is a specimen of the writing for which the citzeus of Dunedin are supposed to pay when the ‘Evening fNews’ makes its

appearance, the Press will have fallen very low indeed.—l am, H, M. Cole. Danedin, January 7th, 1876. (VVe give insertion to the above as a matter of fair play, but think so far as our columns are concerned this c- n roveisy has been carried far enough. ~J£d. E.rt.J