The Warden on the Matter.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 32, 12 January 1884, Page 2

The Warden on the Matter.

A meeting of miners find other interested in the hold, convened by the Warden, was held on Wednesday afternoon, in the paddock tit the roar of the Court-house, Te Aroha. Theie win about 150 poisons present. Mr Konfiek in commenc ing gave expression to ltis reuret at rhe oecutvnee of the difference between the miners and their employers?. It was unfortunate i'ol' (his Held, for tlfo mini' owners and the miners themselves. Jr might be that liia reason for speaking 1 to them might ho misconstrued elsewhere, but he considered it his ditty in th>interest of this goldfield to speak to them on this matter without expressing n-i opinion on the rights of wrongs of thi> dispute, lie then went on to point out that the directors, stited th.it after the hit" cntsliing they found time in most of the mines, if they did not reduce the expenditure they would have to close the mines, and they commenced the retrenchment on {he.miners 1 wages. Ho strongly urged them, however unp-databU> it migiit bj, to p*i use '!*A3 fore they deoid->d not t-t accept (ho B'^ p"r dieio. tt was* quite th •, avenufo. ratoot' >vftu io s ruling in the district and tjiay siiouid mind Ui.it tin :y onl^

worked 7£ hotirs per day nnd four honr«* on Saturdays, so that the wage was not rucli n burl one. At an.Vrate th"»y had to consider their wives, and their "families. If they decided to leave, only very few of tlieiti could obtain prtinloyirtcnt at the Thames, the capacity of winch place for absolving labour they well knew w»s limited. Snine might pet work on the swamps or in tlm farms, W nn amount of travelling wjuld need to 1 have been done nnd some time wasted. Somo of them would doubtless say " they would mther work elsevlu re for a less wago than for these men at Bs, after the way they had treated them" on tlie principle of bite \ our nose, to spite vonr face. The question for them to consider was : could they not bettor thei>' condition by g-oin.fi: elsewhere? He advised them to go io work, and if they miw anything Itettpr they could take their own thrie iinrj leave. He Reminded thetti that one advantage possessed by tlie Arolia over ihv Thames nnd adjoining goldfields, was that it was a new district, and in the event of any new di^covcri' s all working men had the saifie cha<lce' ot putting in their pegs and participating therein. At tho Thames, they wore all aware, that no new discoveries Could be made that would benefit the miners to any extent. Fre^i discoveries might benefit the companies ••r capitalists, but not the labour. Mr Kenrick then w" m t on fo say that Ije 1 had represented to the dir ctnrs that skilled nnd itrtst<illod labour should not he paid at the same rate, but they had thought otherwise. Referring to 1 the iinpi'esMon that hud got abroad that he could compel the companies to iWan thfir ground or forfeit it, he pointed o'irt that if the companies satisfied him that tfiey had used all reasonable means to <ihU\h\ men at a" fair rate of pay he would grant them protection, lie criticised the action of the companies in not giving the men notice of their mt 'tition to decre.ise tli.' w.igds ; tli<* companies had placed the im-n in a corner and forced them to accept or decline at once. If ad the men received .1 fortnight's notice, he felt sure that after they had talked it over amongst tn miselves they would have quietly gone £o work at the 8s per day. In conclusion, he siid it was I a bitter pill to swallow, and they had to consider whether they should swallow it | or go to another docfor. Several questions having lven asked of the \V\i.dpn, he- | withdrew. At the end of the address he ! was warmly applauded, but the advice to , accept the reduction was received with ' solemn silence.