The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 398, 7 August 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1877.

The committee of working men who originated and so successfully carried out the trades demonstration which took place in Dunedin on Saturday evening arc deserving of every praise, alike for the method which they adopted in order to bring prominently before the Government the evils of which they complain and for the bnsmess-like manner in which the affair was carried through. The speakers at the public meeting are also to be complimented upon the manner in which they performed their part of the work. The speeches were, for the most part, different from the orations usually indulged in at meetings of the labouring classes. There was, according to the reports of the Dunedin daily papers, a total absence of those expressions with which we have become familiar from a lengthy experience of working men's meetings. The stereotyped phrases about the rights and wrongs of the working man,the tyrannising of capital overlabour, &c., were altogether avoided. The speakers all took a higher ground—the common interests of all classes in the Colony. Though the speeches were not brilliant pieces of oratory—as they could scarcely be expected to be, coming from men more accustomed to working than talking—they contained a quant 5 t-y of truth and sound sense which cannot be lightly passed over. We need scarcely say that we thoroughly and heartily agree with the resolutions which were passed by the great mass of people congregated together for the purpose of protesting against the Government sending Home for articles of almost every description—articles which might be procured and manufactured in the Colony almost, if not quite, as cheaply as they are in the Mother Country, besides being more suite" 3 to our requirements, and of better manufacture. "We have on previous occasions pointed out the fallacy of the course pursued by the Government, and have endeavoured to show that the Colony having induced thousands of working men to make New Zealand their home, it was the duty of our rulers to provide employment for them by procuring everything we required within the Colony, and

thus encouragiiig local industries pT " stimulating local enterprise. - iU a taost excellent th- -conomy is worthy of tile ' -« no double and but ' consideration of everyone ; .ore are two kinds of economy —that which effects a saving without leaving behind it disastrous results ; and that which effects a direct saving of LI, to the indirect loss of L2, and the serious injury of those who practise it. Of the latter class is that economy which dictates the sending of money out of the country for articles which can be manufactured here, simply because the imported articles can be obtained, perhaps, ten per cent, cheaper than those obtainable from local manufacturers. While we thus effect a trifling direct saving, we are incurring a serious loss indirectly. Ev-ry pound sent out of the country in this manner tends to lessen the spending power of the people, and thus the revenue suffers in consequence to an appreciable extent. Besides this, too, we must bear in mind that the country has expended over a million and a half of money on immigration, with the view of increasing its population and enlarging its revenue in order to meet the increased demand upon its resources consequent upon having to provide interest and sinking fund for the millions which we have borrowed. Is that million and a half of money expended on immigration to be entirely thrown away ? Are the people whom we have induced to come to the Colony in order to lessen our burdens to be compelled to quit our shores simply because they cannot obtain employment here '? Are we to be placed in a worse position than we would have been had we never entered upon a large scheme of immigration ? Are the streets of our chief towns to be thronged by iruui anxiously seeking for work, but unable to find it? Are we to be burdened with a large pauper population ? Are we to suffer all these things simply because we can obtain our railway carriages, etc., from Hume five or ten

per cent cheaper than we can get them made in the Colony 1 These are considerations which should more than counterbalance any slight loss we might suffer through having to pay a little extra for our requirements by having them attended to in che Colony. Our trifling direct loss would be more than compensated for by a hundred indirect benefits—by the increased prosperity of the country, the permanent settlement of a happy and contented people upon our adopted land, the increase of our revenue, the development of our large resources, the establishment of our industries upon a sound basis, and the laying of the foundation of a wealthy manufacturing country of the future. These are matters which should outweigh all petty considerations with regard to the saving of a few pal toy pounds to be effected by sending out of the Colony for what we require. More especially should it be the case, when we consider that by following the course which we are now pursuing we are impoverishing the Colony and driving the population away. We congratulate the mechanics of Dunedin upon the line of action they have taken, and trust that their example will be followed by their compeers throughout the Colony. Let but the voice of the people be heard and their legitimate wishes be made known, and woe be to those in high places who dare say nay.