THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 31, 5 January 1884, Page 2

THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

'Thii above all — to thine own-self be true And it must follow us the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.' —Shakespeare.

SATURDAY, JANUARY. 5, 1884.

The unemployed ! This subject is claiming a large amount of attention just mm. And no wonder, seeing what a tremendous noise those at Christchurch and JDunedin have made lately. These men have been exceedingly persistent in their demands on the Government for work; expressions have been made use of by some of the leaders that cannot be looked upon as other than threats in disguise if the employment asked for is not fo thcotning, and the doctrine put forward that if men happen to be unable to obtain employment to their liking elsewhere, they have a right to demand it from the State at ordinary rate of wages. We are truly glad to see that Government decline to accept any such responsibility. They have offered these starving (?) men 4s 6d per day which is indignantly refused, the applicants finding it much more congenial to their tastes to remain idle and agitate. It is true some have accepted; but we are speaking of the majority. It would be a monstrous precept to lay down that every one could demand work v and wages of the State. Such a course would have a very demoralising effect. Further it would be unwise in the extreme for any government to undertake to bolster |up wages artificially. T o our way of thinking the Government have done even more than was required of them, in offering these agitators 4s 6J a day. They can ill afford to employ a large number of men even at that wage whom they would not otherwise just now engage, seeing the present state of the revenue. We feel quite satisfied that the majority of these)agitators belong to a class who will try every possible way of gaining a living except that of downright work. Men belonging to a class who though not nursed in the lap of luxury, yet have neither the courage nor enterprise to knuckle down to real work, ! gladly accepting what offers, but prefer lounging about the street corners and public houses of our towns. Many of them no doubt have come out to New I Zealand with mistaken notions — expecting to find an abundance of so-called " light employment" at good wages, combined with short hours. They have however found out that those seekiug " light employment " are in little request :n tlie Colony, and that the eupply far exceeds the demand. Perhaps nowhere will a man more quickly find his level than in the Colonies. If able and willing to work, straightforward, honest, anl | capable he will find employment at good wages, and have an opportunity of rising to a position and independence he could never attain to in the Old Country. How many of the present agitators never earned even 4s 6d a day before they saw New Zealand ? How many of their less fortunate brethren left behind would gladly accept the proffered work at 4s Gd, bs 6d, aye, or even 2s Gd a day, and work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. instead of from Bam. to 5 p.m. (We refer of course to farm laborers, not j skilled tradesmen.) Brought out in more prosperous times at little cost to themselves and finding ample employment at wages they never dreamt of obtaining at one time — living of course up to, if not beyond, their means — making no provision for a rainy day ; they naturally find themselves jusfc now in a rather uncomfortable poiition. But what else could they expect? Prosperity does not last for ever. Times of financial depression are ever recurring all the world over. In New Zealand i>t present it is confined to the South, Auckland being very prosperous. Look I at the depression felt throughout Canada and the States not so very long ago, and at the present; time nearly every mail brings us tidings of failures in the com-

morcial world at home for tremendous sums of money, and we fear the worst hns not been reached in England yet. It is not always easy to account for those jteriods of depression. Certain it is they generally follow very rapid progress, and perhaps are necessary as a time of rest in order that renewed vigor may be gathered. We believe Government cannot be too careful in the selection of the emigrants they may despatch to this Colony, but provided the right sort are sent- — men willing as well as able to work, there is no doubt they will find ample employment at much higher wages and with shorter hours of labour than at home. At any rate we must be prepared to expoct larga accessions to our population to follow the establishment of direct and rapid steam communication with the Old Country. Increased capital for investment, and the establishment of many industries now neglected will follow as a matter of course and open up new fields of labor. We contend that it is the class and abilities of many of the new comers that are at fault. At the present moment., how many honest hard-working laboring men, capable of doing any kind of farm labor, are working twelve hours a day from Monday morning to Saturday night in Ireland for from 7s to 9s a week, and from 12s to 15s a week in England, who would as easily get 7s to 9s a day for eigfhfc hours' work in this Colony ? But these grumblers down South have of course forgotten " old times " with reference to these little matters, and from their utterances, as reported, one would suppose they had conferred a special favor on the Government by leaving the Old Country ; to be conveyed to this land of plenty ; and that when they were assisted to emigrate it meant the entering into of a contract whereby they were to be provided with a comfortable means of livelihood for ever after. We could tell of hardships and deprivations and struggles with poverty that have come within our own observation at Home, such as Now Zealand has never heard of and we hope indeed never will. Any right-minded man, any one worthy of the name of an Englishman (we \ue the word in its widest sense) if really hard up through temporary depression, would gladly and thankfully accept 4s 6d a day for the time being, instead of loafing away his time in idle and wicked agitation. The same remarks respecting the rate of wages paid in Great Britain apply to tradesmen as well in proportion. We undertake to say, taking carpenters for instance, that as we write, many competent workmen are toiling 10 hours a day in Ireland for £ 1 to £1 5s a week, who would find ready employment in New I Zealand at 10s utid lla a, day of eight, hours. And as regard* servant ijirls of the right sort, there is nowhere in the ' world such an opening for them asiuthi^ Colony. Is it not a fact there are thousands of strong, healthy, respectable, hardworking servant-skirls now slaving from early morn till long after dark in Ireland for some £4 to £8 or £10 a year and their food ; ami likewise in England and Scotland for say some additional £b a year more than the wage just quoted who, not only would quickly find suitable employment here it wages say from £24 to £40 a year and keep, but are much needed to help develope the resources of the Colony by supplying the great demand now existing for good dairy women, competent to turn out firstclass butter and cheese. Dairy-fanning has been chiefly retarded in New Zealand through the want of suitable bands to carry it on. And what country more suitable for dairy farming than ours ? In conclusion we hope Government will firmly refuse to pander to unreasonable demands, and confine itself to offering work at a low but reasonable wage as far as they can consistently do so to all who raise the cry " We have no work to do/ We append the following clipped from the Wellington Evening Post. It fully upholds the opinion we have expressed, viz., that these agitators clown South won't accept work unless it is of a class exactly to their mind :—": — " Ii view of the great cry that is heard at present — more particularly from Christchurch — with respect to the unemployed, it is worthy of note that Mr M'Kenzie contractor, has been in town for some days endeavouring to obtain about 50 navvies for work near Woodville at 8s per day, and has failed in his object. Messrs Joseph Jay and Co. also require 60 men for vrork in the Forty-Mile Bush at the same rate of wagas but are unable to get them. These facts speak for themselves."