Sustenance Men and Their Critics

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 129, 17 June 1937, Page 7

Sustenance Men and Their Critics

Sustenance.''

Sir, — Please allow me spaca tb make a protest against. the aceusations reeently brought against sustenance men. The impression ereated by your correspqndents is that these men are on sustenance through choice. The reverse is the truth. Some of the very people who are sending forth this abuse are the vory ones that helped to put the men where they are, It is not very long sinee these farmers' union members were crying poverty and dismissipg their men. Married men all over the eountry were put off under the pretence that the bosses were unable to keep them on. The susteuanee ranks are full up of sueh men, One station-holder not a. hundred miles from Hastings put off three men, left one man in charge, and started out himself and bought up all the wool he could lay hands on, held it until an' opportune mompnt, and put it on the Cbristmas wool sale in Napier and caused a glut in that particular sale and cleared for himself £50,000. This man to-day is foaming at the mouth beeause the present Goyernment refuses to compel his east-off men to exist on 15/- weekiy. In the winter of 1934 the - writer woyked in our beautiful Cornwall Park with desperate, hungry men. I saw the gaffer obliged to send out of that s'ame park a messenger pbst haste to procure food for the father of eight children who, had to come to work without broakfast, for the simple reason that his eight hungry kiddies had swallowed the last crust in the~ cupboard. I never heard of any of onr councillors blushing with shame in those '^good old days, " Now, Sir, tho man who has boen sueeessfu! in collecting plenty of this world 's goods is no different fi:om what his neighbour was four thousand years ago, for we flnd that God Almighty had to keep an oye on the rieh men of these days and was obliged to warn him on numerous oceasions against this same evil, that of defrauding the hireling of his wages, I would remind your correspondents who are so ashamed at existing conditions, Sir, that the day is not far distapt when cvery man's work will be tried by fire, by Him who loolceth not upon the outward appearance but upon the lioart.- — Yours, etc.,

Hastings, June 15, 3937.