BROODED AND SON'S' LABORERS

Southland Times, Issue 1683, 31 December 1872, Page 3

BROODED AND SON'S' LABORERS

(TO THE BDITOB OF THE TIMES.) Sir, — Wiil you permit us through your columns to call public attention to the manner in which we have been treated by the people of this district with reference to the immigrants introduced by ua for the purpose of constructing the railways. 95 people ex Bebington were lately landed by us at the Bluff, their passages have been paid by us in pursuance of an agreement whereby they unreservedly bound themselves to allow us to retain ona-fifth of their earnings until the whole amount of their passage money should be repaid. Out of these 95 people, one only is now working for us, the remainder having been absorbed — in most cases without our consent — by the employers of labor in this district, notfe of whom (with one exception) so far aa we are aware, have made any provision for securing the repayment of the moneys due to us. Now though these people were introduced by us as our servants to enable us to execute the work which we have contracted to perform, and not to supply tho labor market generally, we have no objection to a portion of our men, who may happen to be skilled workmen and not specially required by us to engage themselves to other employers, provided that those employers before engauing them ask our consent an>i give us a satisfactory guarantee to repay to us the expenses incurred in bringing them to this country. At Auckland. Wellington, Picfcon. in fact, at every other port of New Zealand where we have introduced workmen, the public have carefully avoided interfering with them without our consent, and in cases where we have consented to allow them to hire themselves to others, the employers have arranged to recoup us for all our outlay ou their behalf. On mentioning these facta to several citizens of Invercargill, we have been assured that there is an impression abroad that we are not at all anxious to retain the people imported by us, but on the contrary are glad to get rM of them, and that employers here would not engage them without our permission if they knew that they were bound to work for us and were in our debt. We cannot understand how the Southland public have come to the conclu-ion that we are anxious to get rid of men whom we import at so much trouble and expense. The publication of this letter ought howerer to satisfy them that this is a very mistaken idea, and in future, common honesty ought to prevent them from tampering in any way with our people without our express consent. As a further sample of the way in whicsh we have been treated, we may mention that several of the men landed this morning ex Zealandia have been already engaged by Invevcargill employers without our sanction. — We are, Sir, &c, John Bbogden & Sons, Per U. Walkdbn. 30th Dec. 18*72.