The Labour Market.

Manawatu Herald, 13 June 1893, Page 3

The Labour Market.

■"During Mr George Hutchison's address to the electors at Alton, he made the following remarks on the Government's coddling policy. It was said that some part of the esffWte f wp.i}ld bejsefi apart f foL\a, 'State farm' such as, _, that #boufc to be established at Waverley. Well,. that W&: a\.Mew; -.departure.' and » very sftrioUs one/ -Let them loolc at -the pdsitibn of this Waverley farm; "It w;as 1200 acres in extent on a main roaS. Settlers had memorialised the Minister to cut up the land into small farms, but this request was refused.' "The Minister, said, " No, I'afii going to send there old and indigent men from the cities. I am going to . build homes for them; give them tools and material for clearing the land at present in bush, for tfuD-dividing -it.' sowing yWolihgrass, and then .cattle. ., In fact, I am going to keep there people who otherwise would be occupants of old men's homes in Wellington, Christchurch, or Dnnedin." All this in respect of land which might be sold at £10 per acre and which would be closely v settled and improved by the purchasers. He could conceive of npthjng more likely to sap the energies of the. people or more calculated to increase; the number- of pfeople dependent on the Govern- 1 mehfc. . There would be the spectacle of th.ese , men supplied with good roads, . good houses, plenty . to eat, and^-ijo- doubt, plenty to? smoke ( while" self-helpful settlers would be sfcrug'ghhg in:the\back :;:i blocllts) wifcH aoaroely any roads,,. and suffering all the hardships of settlement. Such a thing would,.. ho thought, be a standing renroa^ob/ to the - cojony ; and an ipimense mistake. Put it was quif€Pin >: fc£eping with the policy of the Goertiine m fc, which was; that j everythiiig'was to be done . for those persons iwKo^'tHrew themselves on the chajrity ■ 6l" the colony. The effect was bejng^felt". It was a year since itf, w_£|B ' %tinounced in the Financial! Statement that the colony wa^^^p^^l^^i^rgtve'^ woE^tpeverajwil s4ib^opli6d -ix)r it; and }$ty ' efteo^ilß^.bVen i to make a tTacte and^caliipgof:*'. the; unemployed." Ithad mitfjflpjje,%th )i e.ii< number, 10, > and 20 fold, and it had attracted to our sbjores a* Very undesirable class. The policy was breaking do wn as it must' do, but it had done, and wou'd do, 'injury to the decent hard working man of the colony, for many who,,had had, and expected to ,haye ); conlTnu'6'ns wort all the year round,' we^e ( ,ii6w,' q'ut of employ meflt owing tovthe. rconipeliition imped on them bythe^Labour -Bureau sending men frdtool GhH^tctwrch and other souther^^w^B^ Tfie labour market has been,'; thoroughly disorganised to, please a class whom no Government could Sfttisfy^b^ausathek*' demands were inordinate:! tHis,. audience had noaideaioi the system of pauperisatioVtfhieb>hadbeen carried on out' of "■ loaih' n^oiiey , but nbtt that was gos&and ■£2ti#QO0 > pf , the; last surplus with- it,. and if Jfcbe, co, operative syttem to Jb.e, continued it must be pai^foy^u^^er taxation of the people.. , The evil, must be repaired as>ffar!.aa possible. Certainly, the: cotoriy must set its face 'against any ex^efy^on^pf the 'system ; and gradu- ' alfy labour ifiust be led back into its legituuat^phannfcls.,, „ v . ... . ; ..