MATTERS POLITICAL.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 269, 19 May 1896, Page 2

MATTERS POLITICAL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — Allow me space for a few words to reply to the letter signed by Mr George Wilks appearing in your issue of the 15th instant. He writes "It is the misfortune, and not the fault of the colonial that he has not had the benefit of Home training and surroundings. It is this class," he says, " who are constantly vapouring about New Zealand leading the van of civilisation, and Liberty with a capital ' Lis ever on their tongnes." Now I am sorry I cannot congratulate your reverend correspondent upon possess* ing a persuasive style of writing, ' which is somewhat surprising considering the practice he has bad, and his seeming partiality for that occupation. - I think 1 saw somewhere, son.c time ago, that he was anxious to become a candidate for Parliamentary honors, and I venture to suggest for his benefit that the above is hardly the sort of paragraph to be conducive to his triumphant return, and I can fancy - that when some of the colonials read ' his sentiments it will not only be with a capital L but also w ith M a big big D," and some of them may even be tempted to wonder what sort of training and surroundings he has had. - Again, I am sorry I cannot congratulate the reverend gentleman upon the argument of his letter. As it is with- > in the limits of possibility that some of your readers may not have had sufficient leisure to have perused the last of Mr Wilks' productions, I may explain that he states ."that, the workmen found the laws of 1350, A.D., and of Queen Elizabeth most galling, in fact, so ) galling as to cause more than one re- ', volt." Very likely, I should think, considering that the object and parpose of these laws were to prevent supply and demand regulating as they should have done, the price of labor and to compel the poor workingmen, * with their wives and families to live on a starvation wage without one ray * ' of comfort, hope, or happiness, ever ' being shed upon their humble homes. Now, the object of the measures proposed by the labor party at the present time is exactly opposite to that of the laws of 1350 and Queen Elizabeth. l The object of the labor party is not to. reduce wages to some beggarly pit* tance and imprison mien if they decline to accept it, but to raise the price of wages to the maximum amount possibly obtainable. Mr Wilks' reference has, therefore, no application what- _ ever, and his argument against an" Eight Hours Bill altogether falls to , . the ground. But it must not be gathered from what I have stated that I am in favor of an Eight Hours Bill,- . because I am not. The present pro- \ posals and the ancient laws , have one similarity, which is that they both - seek to set aside the regulation of the price of wages by the law of supply and demand In the ancient times, of course, it was done in favor of the employer, in the present time in favor < - of the employed. Now it was, and <• is, a possibility, by legislative I measures to compel the laborer to accept a 'ess wage than he otherwise could obtain ; but on the other hand all the ingenuity of mankind combined could not possibly invent a law cap* 1 ■ able of compelling the capitalist to permanently employ labor except at a profit, and to do so would simply result in adding to the number of those out of, work, and who might otherwise have obtained employment; The only way to maintain a. high price of ' wage is by, stimulating trade and commerce, tobe _ brought, about by the encouragement of enterprise, and which can only result from a sense of confidence and security, a policy diametrically opposed to that of the present Government, hence the falling wage and the increasing number of unemployed. And, on the other hand,, the return in the Old Country by an overwhelming majority of the Conservative party has imparted a feeling > of confidence with the resultant increasing prosperity, rise of wages, happier homes, and fewer by far of those who seek employment without finding it. I cannot undertake to enter into a controversy with Mr Wilks, but when he says he , has finished the number of letters, be intends to wxite on the subject, I will send a reply. I am, etc., James J. Bagnalu Feilding, May 16th, 1896. ■ .