THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 1879.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1671, 28 June 1879, Page 2

THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 1879.

WE cannot congratulate the convenors of last night’s meeting on the result of their venture. At the very outset a difficulty cropped up. The gentleman who had undertaken to bring forward the motion on which the whole affair hinged wad unable to give any details as to the working of the proposed scheme. He stated, later on in the meeting, that the reason ho had not boon prepared with details was his expecting that, as usual, a sub-committee would be appointed representative of both employers and employed, to go into the matter and bring up a report. According to this, the public meeting must have been called with the solo view of appointing a subcommittee. In the total absence of all details, it was quite impossible for the meeting to arrive at any conclusion as to the feasibility of the scheme propounded. A more unbusinesslike mode of proceeding it is impossible to conceive. Mr Hastings should have been fully prepared to place before the meeting such data as would have enabled it to decide whether a sub-committee was needed or not. Had even the labor agency scheme possessed considerable inherent merits, the motion would have fared but badly under such auspices. The mooting was evidently of opinion that an agency pure and simple was not likely to be a success, and passed a resolution to the effect that “ the labor agency should not be started except in connection with the Working Men’s Union.” This was all that was done. No committee was formed, or anything effected which might practically further the interests of the working classes. A good deal was said about the formation of a working man’s club, and the dosirableues of attaching the labor agency to it, but nothing came of the suggestion. One speaker said in effect that the temperance question lay in the road of tire formation of such an iustitutution. Now, such t-übs are flourishing in Dunedin, Wellington, and Auckland, and wo fail to see that the condition of working men hero at all differs from the condition of the same class in the cities above named. Wo feel confident that had some energy boon displayed at last night’s meeting a nucleus might have been formed which would very shortly have developed into what would have been of decided advantage to all parties concerned. Both employed and unemployed would have taken the matter up, and the committee which might have boon formed could have gone with confidence to the general public for assistance, and the labor agency might have been attached as an integral part of the institution. Wo cannot help feeling that a fine opportunity has been wasted, an opportunity the like of which may not occur for some time. As matters stand, the unemployed have before them the suggestion put forward by his Worship the Mayor and advocated by us some time since. Should the City Council concur, the unemployed will have an additional method of making their wants known to employers of labor.