LABORERS' LETTERS FROM NEW ZEALAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 15 February 1873, Page 4

LABORERS' LETTERS FROM NEW ZEALAND.

_ 0 — : — (From the Deal and Kentish Telegram). Numerous letters have been received r.hy the reJat-ives,:and. Xs v^^ , : Brogdea to New Zealand for employment upon the railway's the firm has contracted to make in the colony. The j jetters concur in stating that, aj regards

wages, hours of labor, prices' of Jpxofisijons^. and the delightful -clirha'tVarid chnracter 6L the country, the writers find themselves , in even more favorable cimimatbnees' than they were led to expect. The following ' nre extracts :—" Picton, July 21, 1872. We had a very gooil voyage. There was no sickness on hoard. . . . Beef is 2£d. per Ib. ; mutton H-l, per ■ lb. . I am sluing as fat as a pis». Thi's'la- not iika old starvy potk {sic) home, but . good liriDz. plenty good beef aDd ..mutlpn, polatoea and flour as cheap as at home. ... My dear Mary, do not bo -frightened ahout the sea, it is belter than riding iv a railway train. You and the children will be rigged out with what -you need. I hope we shall meet and all our ehildreu by Chris'mas. . . . Butter io summer is 41 or 5:1 a pound. The goldtiel.ls are twelve miles from here, hut this is sure and easy work — six shillings a day, no lost time, and our passage paid to wherever we -were sent. . . . We landed without one penny in our po:-kets, but, thank God, we h«d a place to po to , and the best of everything to eat. Tea is cheap here ; beer is Is a quart." Another writes on the same day in much the same strain, mentioning also the landing on "• Probus Frast Monday." He entreats " his dear I<aney *' to come out •' and enjoy the good living," Another -writes : — 'Pieion, July 28, 1872.— My denwife and children. ... I wish you and the dear children -were here fco diiy.er to-day. I have epi-ken to the agents" for you, and I want you to buy a new felling axe and a new half-hook. A*k Jack to buy it for you ; pay him to go to Truro ; he knows what a gcod felliog axe is ; he csv get one for 5s ; here they are 20s. There is no snuff sold here in Pieion town, nor smoking tobacco ; cake tobacco is 63 per lb. Pay day is ue?:*. week with up, so I cannot send you any money. Tell your two brothers that this is the best place for them. Th'-y can get oui. easily, and have 1 heir wives wiih th^m." Another :— "Picton, July 29, 1872.— Dear wife and children, . . . lam feeling double the man I was when I left Kngland. We had a splendid voyage out. We bad two or three gales of wind, but. they -were in our favor. We arrived at Wellington, New Z -aland, on tlie 9ih July, and stayed 1 here four days, and then went to Picton, 50 mil^-s by steamer. We got to Picton üboul 9 o'cloik on Saturday evening, and was welcome received there. 1 can as.sure you this is the place for living. . . I w'n-h I had Walter here, he wuuld earn 235. a week., . . . People here are all alike, there is no pride whatever. If you think of coming out, do it at once and come. Go to Mr. - — , he will give you all particulars. Dear wife, this is just the place for families like ours. If you are coming get a good outht. Jf it costs £30, what odds ? There is plenty of money here. ... If you come send word. If you do not come, I shall, if it please God to spare me, come home in two or three years, and have some monsy in my pockets, 1 hope. Female servants oan get any amount of money here. Give my love to Miss • — — , aud tell her that if she woe here sho would get two or three pounds a week as a barmaid. As for servants, they cannot get anyone here; that was the cry when we got to Wellington. The people came on board-enquiring for female serva : jis; there were a few girls about 14 or 15 who were engaged in a minute at good wages. . . . Families is what they 'want here,; lam very comfortable here; like all colonials, we make a hut and live in it, but have got tb cook our own food. Give my love to all enquiring friends, and tell them that I am first rate. We can go out and catch a pig any time we like two or three miles out in the bush. My brother was talking about coming; I wish he would, he could not do a better thing. 'Tie better to be here living like a gentleman than to be in England starving. A. working man can spend more money here upon comforts tb.Bn he can earn in England. : Aworkihg man is thought as much of here as a gentleman in England. There is not the comfort here as regards feather beds; we have got to carry our beds. wi'h us^ where we go, but that is nothing after- we get used' to "it, 'Please, tell John —, that there is plenty of work, for him here; carpenters get 9s. for '8 hours a day. My love to father and mother nnd all friends. If you are able and wilting to come out : go andsee ElizibeVh , and see what she saya- about coming. Mind and get a good ; outfit^ there ia plenty of money here to pay for it."