DESTITUTION AT THE THAMES.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 642, 1 March 1870, Page 2

DESTITUTION AT THE THAMES.

[SOUTHERN QKOSSj FEB. 21.] Messrs Swan, M.H.R., Grove, M.P.C., Ollivier,. and Hawkes had an inter-view on Saturday, Feb. 19, with the members of the General. Government now in Auck-. land, viz. : — The Hon. W. Fox, Premier j the Hon. J. Yogel, Colonial Treasurer j and the Hon. D. M'Lean, Native Minis* ter. The object was, to learn whether the General Government was prepared to assist in relieving the distress at the Thames. The reply of the Government was, substantially, this :—Constitutionally, the duty of dealing with the distress belongs to the Provincial authorities. The Superintendent is the delegate of the Governor with respect to the gold fields j and it is understood that his Honor believes that he can, out of Provincial resources, do what is necessary. If the Superintendent finds that there exists any difficulty in his way which the General Government can remove — whether technical or even financial — the Government, on. being applied to, will be prepared to give its best assistance. But the Government, not having been applied to, roust ueces-. sarily decline to pledge itself to any definite course. The Government regard 9 the vote of the Assembly for roads into, the interior as a special one, for the employment of natives, and of the Constabulary to some extent; and expenditure in both directions has been going on almost ever since the close of the session. The same paper of the 21st inst. has the following : — We understand that hi* Honor the Superintendent has instructed. the Engineer-in-Chief, Charles O'Neill, Esq., to offer employment to tho destitute miners at the Thames, in the construction of the road between Grahamstown and Tararu ; and, if this does not employ a sufficient number, to employ the remainder upon the road between Shortland and Puriri. On Saturday last full instructions were given to the Engineer-in-Chief, and the work will be begun without delay. The rate of remuneration to be offered ia limited to two shillings a day\ It will be remembered that, at a recent deputation to the Superintendent respecting the Ohiaemuri question, it was stated by Messrs Ollivier and Hawkes that there were at least 3000 men out of employment at the Thames, and of whom as many as. 1500 would be glad to work for mere food. . It was also stated by Mr Grove that each man's food would coat 2s a day. We. do not think, however, that the- deputation could have anticipated that the Provincial Executive would have interpreted this as they have done. Though there are doubtless many men in. the gold fields who would gladly work for a week or two for mere food, there are doubtless many men with wives and families who cannot possibly exist upon such a pittance as 2s a day. Surely it cannot be intended that a bare subsistence shall be found for the single men, while the married men are to be left to starve. The Auckland Morning Advertiser pub-, lishes the following letter, signed " William Kitson :"— " Sir— The state of destitution exhibited to the Superintendent by the recent deputations, is really appaling. Large numbers of willing hands are in a state of semi-starvation, in a land fall of resources. I would suggest to our Government the urgent, immediate necessity of chartering one or more of the steamers now lying idle in our port, to remove to the Middle Island a number of the unemployed. In Canterbury the harvest is in jeopardy from a scarcity of labor. Scores of men here are totally without the means to return to their homes, where they have left families chargeable to the Government. A proposition is now being mooted in Christchurch to send to the Thames for laborers, and to return them again if they wish it. Unless some immediate steps are taken, we shall have to deplore calamities, slumbering only, but of which we are getting daily warning, and which will culminate in anarchy and riot. One or tw» pounds per head would ship away numbers anxious to get away, and.be a sensible relief to the district at a comparatively small cost."