LETTERS FOR THE PEOPLE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 144, 17 June 1880, Page 2

LETTERS FOR THE PEOPLE.

No.i. [Communicated.] Although the colony is passing through a period of great depression, wbich is much increased by the superabundance of labor in the market, and the great scarcity of employment, still, in the course of our progress from the early days of settlement until the present time, we have weathered worse storms, and when the outlook was even blacker than in these present days. ' Whoever will take the trouble, to go through the old files of our colonial papers will find many illustrations of the sayiDg that " History repeats itself." Sixteen years ago we were laboring under quite as severe a depression as at the present time — surplus of labor, no employment for that labor, debt, bankruptcy, and the land depreciating in value ; and then, as now, there were not wanting croak ers to increase our difficulties, and to recommend people, like rats, to leave a sinking ship. Erom among many others of a like strain I quote the following paragraph from a newspaper published during that period, and which, though then referring to a province in particular, will now apply to the colony in general : — " Southland is a new province. It is bankrupt ; the people are suffering in every respect, not a few from a want of bare food ; trade is in a ruinous condition ; the value of property bas fallen, in many instances sixty and seventy per cent, and even at that reduction purchasers cannot be found ; the people are fleeing from the province as from a land plague-stricken ; debt, difficulties, and bankruptcies . are the order of the day, both in the Government of Southland and in its people." Here, we have an exact picture of our present conrli'i'w Yet, we struggled through and triumphed without any assistance, save the proverbial

gflefgy and indomitable perseverance of the Anglo-Saxon fflce,- which, like ths aturdy British oak, only strikes Its roots the deeper when the storms of adversity blow hardest. These were the times immediately preceding the discovery of our gold fields, and the development of our coal mines. Many left the colony, biit ofily the useless ones, the nonproducers ; they fell of?< leaving the strong and sturdy producers free afld fit for the strife. And now, once more, the question arises; What shall we do with our surplus labor ? Labor is virtually capital, and why let such capital be idle ? Why not turn the labor on to the land, some will answer. Unfortuflatelyy now that the most accessible land has beea settled or appropriated, new settlers must go fuYthei' b&ck f and where the land is heavily timbered it requires time before A return Can. be expected off itj meanwhile our laboring population must exist. A certain proportion wotild, .no 1 doubt, find plenty of employment among the farmers in the settled districts, provided they are willing to work for lower wages than have been obtained during the late years of our prosperity. High wages they can no longer expect ', ifc was far different when the Government was the chief employer, and the wages fund was supplied from borrowed money j ndtt, the Public Works no longer employ snch large fiUinbers of men, and, as a necessary consequence, the price of labor must come down. When the farmer employs labor, and only realises ten shillings a day out of the iatic^ he cannot afford eight shillings a day ac wages to a laboriog man. The laborer bas no Wore right than the capitalist to swallow up all the profits. With a tract of auriferous country nearly m large, aud equal to, even if not excelling, ia richness the gold-bearing districts of California, there should be no lack of employment for our surplus labor, and little fear for the future. We have an immense tract of goldbearing country which is, Comparatively speaking, untouched, over the whole of which gold is distributed, more or less, but always iv payable -tjuautities. Any man who has sufficient euergy and is nofc afraid of hard work can make a living ifl stitfh couutry, eveu if he ouly goes out as a *' hatter. ? * Though there may not be such fabulous nuggets in our gold country as were found in California and Australia in the days of the early rushes (though we have no reason to think there are not) yet the gold is all through the country, and has not a titbe of the uncertainty and chance of tbe gold fields of those countries, If the Government would offer sufficient inducements or rewards new gold fields would be speedily found. lastead of subsidising Torpedo Corps, throwing money into the sea by the construction of political harbors, &c , and keeping up an expensive immigration agency in London, and similar useless and expeusive luxuries, the Government should employ some of the money iv opening up new gold fields, constructing water races, aud assisting the unemployed to reach the gold fields. We should, then, S)on be rid of our crowds of unemployed, business and trade would revive, and once again we should have a return of prosperity. Meanwhile, those young or unmarried meu who have not prospect of emplc y mont during the present winter, and have yet a few pounds left, cannot do better than go to the West Coast, where, at the least, they would stand a chance of making some money for themselves, wilh the advantage of being their own masters, which they can have no chance of doiQg if they remain in town during this winter. Those who are, unfortunately, in this ca3e, married, cannot be expected to go to the " diggings ;" but, as I pointed out above, they could obtain work from the farmers if content to go to work for moderate wages. I know men will object that they cannot keep a wife and family if wages are to come down ; but the cost of living must come down as well. We are taxed heavily enough now in various ways, and are incapable of supporting a tax in the form of a host of shopke:pers, publicans, and other nonproducers who have in former days fattened off our high wages. I have no space in this letter to enter further into the subject of the West Coast gold-fields. There are some who will, no doubfc, say thafc at the present time they are suffering from depression on the West Coast the same as we are here, but I am prepared to maintain that the West Coast never was in a sounder condition than it is at present. I will admit that among the merchants, storekeepers, publicans, &c, there have heen bankruptcies and failures, but tbis has all been for the best. Formerly, every ten diggers had two hotelkeepers and two storekeepers to support, who stuck to them like leeches, and gorged themselves to repletion ; when the period of stagnation came these fell off, and the diggers are all the freer and healthier for the riddance. Vox E Popolo.

THS ITIISQH . JETEMira MAIL, THCJRJSDAT, JUNE 17, 1830