MEETING OF THE UNEMPLOYED.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2563, 8 June 1881, Page 2

MEETING OF THE UNEMPLOYED.

In accordance with an announcement of yesterday a meeting of the unemployed took place near the Government Landing-shed this morning, some 150 people assembling to consider the best way of dealing with the difficult question of how to obtain work at a period when work is onty too scarce. Mr McPherson, a laboring man, was voted to the chair or rather log of wood, and informed the meeting that the present distress was the natural result of a ruinous immigration policy, which had been made worse by the paid agents of the Government, who, receiving 10s per head upon each immigrant they sent out, were utterly careless in making their selection so long as they pocketed their commission. After some further remarks of a similar kind,

Mr Henry Boardman stepped for ward and was received with applause. He said that they had been pretty well acquainted with his views on the state of the colony for some time back, but still be would like to say something on the subject of the present bad state of things. Yesterday Mr March, the immigration agent, had come down here from Christchurch, and he (the speaker) had interviewed him at his request. Mr March had said “will you stop the meeting to morrow ?” and he had replied that if any good and sufficient season could bo advanced for doing so, he would stop it. Mr March then said that he was in a position to relieve some of tho distress in Timaru, he could give twenty men employment at the Waitaki on the railway works. Twenty men ! (Laughter.) Why, what would be the good of finding work for twenty it would be a mere drop in the ocean. If he had said 200 it would have been nearer the mark. (Hear, hear.) The immigration policy had certainly a good deal to answer for. People had been brought out here on false re present a tions, and labor was now so cheap that employers could afford to laugh at them. It was the largo landholders who had brought them all here, and who were responsible for the state of the colony to day. And what was that state ? Only the day before yesterday he had visited the house of a fever stricken family in Timaru, in which there were five children, and these people had nothing to cat, and nothing to cover themselves with. There had been no food in the house for 36 hours. This was what the large landowners had brought it to. (Hear, hear.) But the influx of immigration was not in his opinion the sole cause of tho distress, although if any more came out it would do harm, but was in part the result of large sums of money leaving the colony. If 100,000 working men came out, what would they give them ? (A

He knew what one employer of labor had done. He had engaged 40 new arrivals at 15s a week, and let out their labor at 30s a week, pocketing the rest. That was how the working men had had been treated on that occasion. (Laughter and applause) Who were the people who bad been brought out here by the Government ? It didn’t signify to the immigration agents who they were, as a previous speaker had said, so long as they got their 10s a-hea.l. For instance there was a man recently in the Timaru Hospital who was infirm when he was put on board ship at Plymouth, and infirm when ho arrived here. Was a man who could go and do a day’s work at anything as much of a burden on the colony as this man ? (Hear, hear). Mr Turnbull hud said in his speech the other night that a million and a half of money was lying idle at the present time. Was it right that all this money should be allowed to lie idle when men were sleeping in holes and corners in Timaru and were unable to obtain work? (Applause). Was it right that the Timaru Borough Council should allow all those water pipes to be lying idle on the reserve, when they ought to be laid now? (Hear, hear). But it did not suit the Borough Council to lay them now. The Council was waiting until next harvest and then they would complain that they could not get the labour cheap enough. The Mayor and Councillors ought to be interviewed in reference to this matter, but if they did interview them they should go boldly. They would go to ask for work and not to seek for charity. After some further remarks the 'speaker proposed the following resolution which was duly seconded and carried by a large show of hands—- “ That this meeting respectfully requests the Timaru Borough Council to proceed with the laying of the water pipes, and thus furnish work tor the unemployed.” Another speaker haring addressed the meeting a committee was appointed to interview the Mayor and Mr Turnbull, and it was resolved that an adjourned meeting be held at the Breakwater at 10.30 to-morrow morning to hear the result of such interview. The meeting then dispersed.