The Felding Star. Published Daily. TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1893 POVERTY AND CRIME.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 39, 15 August 1893, Page 2

The Felding Star. Published Daily. TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1893 POVERTY AND CRIME.

— , — — — ♦ It is a melaucholy fact that thoro is an enormous amount of distress from destitution in tho largo towns of New Zealand, notwithstanding the alleged prosperity of the Colony as compared with the other colonies of Austral asia. As an instance of this we quote tho following telegram from Wellington: — •• Several instances of larceny from distress have occurred here lately. On Friday a young ablo bodied man, who gave hitnsulf into custody and admitted stealing a pair of boots, was sentenced to six months' hard labor. On Saturday another man admitted the larceny of au overcoat. Both accused were uuable to obtain work, and were iv a thoroughly destitute condition." Of course this very likely means that theso two men preferred the comfortable leisure of a gaol, in town, to the discomforts and honest earnings of hard work, in the cuuutry, but still it is very pitiable that men iv tho full vigor of life should be driven by tho pangs of hunger to dishonesty. In their caso tbe Charitable Aid Board could, of course, do nothing. To a certain extent we blame tho Labour Bureau for this state of things. The Bureau may havo done some good wo admit, by finding work for a limited number of men, but moro harm has boen done by attracting a lot of labor to the towns which could bavo been absorbed io the country districts without artificial aid. The disturbances in tho labour market which still exist, consequent upon the interested eflorts of agitators who only work for the attainment of their own selfish ends, have also much to do with the scarcity of employment, for the obvious reason that employers are afraid to undertake uny responsibilities which may carry danger with them from strikes or other contingencies of a like character. As the summer approaches there will be openings for many men in the different shearing Bheds of the colony, which will no doubt relieve the labor congested towns to some extent, but we fear that even then the "agitator," who hates to see other men work, will do his level best to prevent flock owners and shearers entering into amicable arrangements mutually profitable and satisfactory. Our Liberal legislators are very fond of prating about the protection of " the working man," but in our opinion, it is high time they did something to protect the employer. The one is as much a necessity as the other, and has therefore the same claim for consideration. The men who pay the wages do more to relieve distress than either the Labor Bureau or the Charitable Aid Boards, and they should therefore be encouraged rather than condemned, as they are at present.