Correspondence.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 266, 15 May 1896, Page 2

Correspondence.

[We wish it to be distinctly understood that we are not responsible for the opinions of our corr. spondcnts;] MATTERS POLITICAL. TO THE EDITOB. Sin, — The members of tbe House may be divided into two classes, viz;, those who have been born in Britain or have spent some years there, and who have had several years' experience in the colony, and, on the other hand, those who have been born and reared entirely in the colony. The former, as a rule, take a broader and deeper view of matters than the latter. It is the misfortune not the fault of the colonial that he has not had the benefit of Home training and surroundings. ilt is this class who are constantly, vapouring about New Zealand " leading the van of civilisation," and " Liberty " — with a capital L — is ever on their tongues. Now, I assert without fear of contradiction that our present Government and their subservient blind followers are leading ua back to the Middle Ages, and fast binding us in the chains of despotism. Many attempts have been made during the past five years to pass an Eight Hours Bill, but owing to the good sense of those who take a wider view of matters, it has not become law. So far back as 1350, A.D., the English Parliament passed an Act fixing the price of labor, and also the number of hours of a working day. And in the reign of Elizabeth a number of Labor Laws were consolidated and made binding upon all trades and industries. Workmen in the past found these Labor Laws most galling, and time after time petitioned for their repeal'; by degrees one after another of these despotic Acts was wiped off the Statutes, but it was not until 1825 that a clear board was made, then workmen were really free. It took over three hundred years to undo what was put on the Statute Book prior to and in the reign of Elizabeth, and S3 galling, were these laws that they caused more than one revolt. Those people who cannot perceive" and trace the true relation between cause and effect, and the inevitable results of a given policy, are most prone to demand legislative regulation, such as those members of tbe House who hold their scats at the mercy of Trades Unions, . and who have, at the peril of losing their seats, to carry out the wishes of the said Unions. I am not advocating that laborers should work longer than eight hours for employers, but I wish to show that an Eight Hours Act would be tyranny and despotism to ' the workman himself, for he would not be able to start at 4 a.m. cocksfoot' cutting, and go on until dark in order to make extra wages. No, his hours would 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an hour's intermission for dinner. True Liberty will not interfere with a workman as to the number of hours he may work on any one day. lam given to understand that a gentleman who belongs to, or did belong to, that body called the Knights of Labor has offered his services to the electors of this district at the next election. Now, as I think many rf the views and wishes of the Knights of Labor are erroneous, and, if put into an Act of Parliament, would be most unjust to workingmen, I hope he will ventilate his views through your columns, which will give me an opportunity to try to refute them, and which may prove amusing and perhaps interesting to those who take an interest in politics. I am, etc., George Wilkb. Feilding, May 12th, 1896. -