Correspondence

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 102, 16 February 1893, Page 2

Correspondence

THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE LABOUR MARKET. TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAM. SiRi — To understand the above correctly it is necessary to bear in mind that the labour market is more or less affected, all over the world, by large numbers of men depending for their livlihood on public , works and other contracts. These men j are always moving about to where such i works are going on, and when the supply ! of labour exceeds the demand, then there is always a danger of a drop in all round wages, because many of those men will compete with the local or settled labourer. The working-men in outlying country districts are often the best off in such a condition of the' labour' market, 'the work being limited, and the employer of labour, whether by tWday or for a longer period, generally prefering to employ the settled labourer, therefore few of the aforementioned working-men visit those localities ; but the great, body of them congregate about the large cities, or wherever extensive public or private works are carried on. Viewed in this light,the condition of the labour market is not so favourable as it was 13 or 14 years back. In the United States, Unionists|have attempted in a great measure to monopolize labour, and to dictate terms as to the rate- of wages, which action has led to strikes, warfare, and bloodshed between employer aud employe. In Australia strikes have been prevalent, and numbers of men have, in consequence, joined the ranks of the unemployed, and, to come hearer home, New Zealand has had its share of. the unemployed difficulty. Now, as in the United States, the working man has long ago had his voting privilege in political elections, and the, extension of the franchise has been considerably increased to workmen in the, Australasian colonies, the present condition of labour is a proof that the labourer has not improved his prospects through the privilege of votingjand the various reasons of this may be seen by anyone who has any intelligence, and has not become blind by prejudice. The working-man has been too ready to listen to the unprincipled and self-seeking orator, who has made him believe that black is white, or any, other colour he chooses. Among the causes tending to the aboye backward movement are,: 1, Protection is tampering with one of the most beneficent yet simple laws of nature conducing to the welfare of all classes— namely, that nations or states shouJcl interchange their different productions as free as possible. 2. The erroneous idea that has been put into the working-man's head that the British and other capitalists are his enemies, trying to get as much work as possible out of him for little pay. Venturesome and enterprising capitalists have been disheartened through this notion, and general antagonism established between the two classes. .3. The sympathy that unscrupulous candidates have shown in cases of ill-advised strikes, generally under tHe taking term of Liberals, merely for the sake of popularity and securing the working-man's yote. All this sham has , contributed towards really conscientious and Liberalminded men joining the Conservatives or retiring into private life in disgust: fit is a farce and delusion to call a man either a Liberal or a Christian who upholds the unprincipled scheme 'of so-called protection. The protectionist imposes duties or prohibits the products of his own kin or friend across the sea, or over . merely a narrow land boundary, taking a mean but questionable adyantage that the day of retaliation will be postponed. This is the reverse of liberal. It would also teach doing to others that which you would not others do to you, which is directly against one of the greatest of Christian precepts, and is the reverse of Christianity. Although the terms of liberalism, and protection have been rendered meaningless, these terms have been attractive to the working-man who has a delusive belief that he can get his wants satisfied by the Liberals, and that protection will proteot his labour. The very eagerness that the Liberals have had to establish protection for some years back proves the' above belief is erroneous. The eftect of proteciion in America, pursued by a Republican Government, proves if there is any meaning in that term that it is to protect the monopolist and - millionaire. This * delusion of protection has, I believe, taken the American working-man about half a century or more to find out ; but lately, however, under a Democratic Government he can see it in all its blackness, but not until it was extracting from his pocket 90 to 95 per cent, of his earnings, against a mere trifle in comparison from the rich. I will write upon the subjects of capital and strikes in future letters. I am, etc., A Colonist.