THE RAILWAY LABORERS’ STRIKE. IN AUCKLAND,

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1480, 14 November 1872, Page 2

THE RAILWAY LABORERS’ STRIKE. IN AUCKLAND,

(From the Evening Star, October 26.) The movement among the workmen on* the railway for increase of wages and decrease of daily labor should be considerately and kindly treated, Sneering at . the efforts of the men to ameliorate their condition, and egging them on to violence are both about equally reprehensible* The movement has features iu it peculiar to itself, and information on the true state of affairs is likely to be attended, with good results to all concerned. These men are strangers among us, and cannot be expected to be familiar with our political questions ; and from this lack of experience are likely to fall into error that should not be visited, with severity. We have never laid claim to the title of the “ Poor Man’s Friend,” a title, which, is so often basely prostituted; but front whatever causes arising the “ workingmen,” as well as the friendless and thepoor, have come to regard the Star ae ready to stand in the breach, and afford protection against the powerful. We are confident that the trust is not misplaced,, and we therefore do not hesitate to give a few words of advice respecting the present strike of the navvies. As we have said, these man are strangers to our politics and the circumstances of our public; works. They are not aware that thereis a large and powerful party utterly opposed to these works being carried out,, and that a little, indifference on the part of the promoters of these works would lead to their being put off for years, if; not for ever. Supposing that every work* man on the line of railway stops work,, nobody will feel that any suffering it. caused by the stoppage, unless what suffering is caused to the meu themselves.. The Messrs Brogden will not be subjected to any loss; the Government, we feel assured, will see to this; and, if thegovernment works are stopped In Auckland, the money will simply in the meantime, be spent on the works proceeding down South, and the workmen in Auckland will he left to, starve. If by any possibility, the workmen in the South, could also be induced to strike, so that the public works policy could, be brought to a stop i and if the whole system, of public works could in this, or any other way, be burst up, it would, to. a largo and powerful political party, be the glad:dest day they had ever seen in the colony,. If the earnest friends and promoters of public works could only be disgusted with the progress of them, and so allow them to hang, or allow the enemies of these works to gain strength, then it will iu all probability come to pass that not, at seven shillings, nor yet at ffvn shillings, nor yet a shilling a day will the navvies find employment on railwayworks. The men are treading on moreslippery ground than they suppose,, and, it is not the Government and the party that have been earnestly fighting to carryout the public works that they should offend. If the men were asking for what, was reasonable they would find publicsympathy, and nothing would afford greater pleasure to the Evening Star than throwing its aid on their side, and fighting for the working men against all comers, and the more and the stronger the enemy the better we should fight* But this demand of increase of wages and decrease of work is unreasonable; and' this effort, if continued, will turn away a good deal of feeling that is in favor of carrying out the public works. The newly-arrived navvies, who are a brave, manly, and hardworking lot of fellows , should not listen to the lies of the lazy, idle loafers that have been our standing nuisance in the past. The wages given are good wages as compared to those ta which the men have been previously ac-. customed, aud are larger than the amount; mentioned in the agreement in England, which was five shillings a day. They have come to a country where they am warranted in looking higher than being mere day laborers, and where, by-aud-bye, every one of them may have his own little freehold homestead along the line of our railways; with his little farm and garden, and cattle, and little snuggery of a cottage in which to look back in the decline of life on the years of hard delving among rocks and cuttings. By steady careful industry, every hardworking navvie can easily win this com* fort for himself, and he should look with; contempt on the false advice of lazy idlers , viffo have been for years in the county.