WORKING MEN'S WAGES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1797, 2 October 1888, Page 3

WORKING MEN'S WAGES.

TO TMB BDITOB. Sib,— Although none of the members of the Geraldine Eoad Board have attempted to refute the charge of inconsistent conduct concerning, the lowering of their surfacemen's wages, I hope you will allow apace for further comment on the subject. In reference to Me Flatman's ktatement at their last meeting, that the men had brought the reduction on themselves by refusing to tender for certain jobs, I say the men did quite right. Tendering is one of the great evils by which the present age is cursed. The reason why employers are so fond of letting work by tender is because work so let is invariably done for far less than it is worth. The evil of underpaid labor does not fall only on the fools that tender too low—and there are cheap contractors who are worse than fools. I* is no uncommon occurrence for men to undertake work at half its value, pocket the half pay, and meet their creditors as bankrupts with the excuse that the contracts have not paid them. In fact, the man who underpays labor takes advantage of a fool, or aids and abets a rogue. It is by the production of labor that we all live, and, as the old book tells us, the laborer is worthy of his hire. Depriving working men of their fair share of the good things of the world is Tirtually muzzling the ox that treadeth out the corn. Those who are so fond of reducing the price of labor to starvation point might awake some fine morning to realise that their ox is a horned ox. If a trial of brute strength is provoked it is not hard to feretell what the issue of the struggle will be. Granted, there is a great amount of crass ignorance among the working classes yet—still there is a growing intelligence in the world that will not permit present conditions to continue much longer. Coming events cast their shadows before them, and we are undoubtedly in the shadow of the greatest revolution the world has ever known. The usual revolutionary accompaniments bloodshed and brutality—can only be prevented by concessions of justice. Those who have the power o? preventing such sickening horrors-will consult their ownbest interests by conceding justice, if their blind selfishness would allow them to perceive that it is so.—l am, etc., „ Ybbitas.