SEDGWICK BOYS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143473, 21 April 1911, Page 4

SEDGWICK BOYS.

DISCUSSION AT LABOUR CONFERENCE.

Per Press Association,

CHRISTCHURCH, April 20. Tho question of assisted immigration

came before tho Trades and Labour Federation Conference this afternoon. Tho subject was raised in the following remit from the Wellington council: “That this conference protests strongly against the spending of public money by the Government in introducing labour from an outside country into any industry which is not adequately protected under the industrial laws of tho country.” A lengthy letter from Mr. T. E. Sedgwick was road by tho president. The letter dealt with many of the objections which have been urged against the immigration of boys for farm work. Mr. Sedgwick contended that New Zealand’s greatest need at present was population. Lads from Home worn receptive, adaptable, keen, willing and energetic. They would learn, settle, and then marry. Every lad represented. a capital expenditure of £250 in tho Old Country, and was therefore a gift of that value to the land of his adoption. The advantages of the apprenticeship were immense, and tho. banking of their, wages should ensure, that each lad would have £IOO saved before ho came of age. All the “Sedgwick boys” were total abstainers, and each hail' a good past record. The adoption of tho remit was moved by Air. E. J. Carey (Wellington), who said that tho workers were not opposed to immigration of tho right sort, but they objected to tho Government spending the taxpayers’ money on assisted immigration. He wquld ‘not say that tho Sedgwick boys would make any appreciable difference to tho lahoui market of the country, but farmers should not require any State assistance in getiHug ■ out. JR. Sedgwick ..talked about proper safeguards and supervision, but they knew that farmers wore prepared to sweat their own children, and did sweat them on dairy farms. If they were not liumano onoligh not to sweat their own children, what would they' do to these boys p

.Mr. Fordo ' (Southland) said 'that Southland had had sonic experience of Jads-who,,had boon assisted out'here much on the same principle as Mr. Sedgwick’s hoys. Their ages ranged from 18 to 2d years, and they wore entirely unfitted for the work they had to do. How could they expect to get agricultural labourers from a country in which agriculture was dead ? TUe boys were already drifting into towns and competing with other lads for situations. Ho knew that in five cases out of twenty the boys had como into town. Mr. Sedgwick and others were trying to blind the workers with high-sounding phrases about boys who were entirely unsuited for the purpose for which they had been brought but. Mr. Laracy suggested an addition to tho clause in the direction of securing an Arbitration Court award to cover agricultural labour by boys. Ho be- , iierncl that the proprietor of a leading registry office in Christchurch had stated that ho could not fipd sufficient farmers to give employment to local boysi Ho was not against boys coming to the country, but they should not come here to keep our own men and boys .out of work. . The bulk of farmers -were good employers, but those who wanted “Bodgwick” boys were too mean to pay decent 'wages to farm labourers. There was no man who could go out and get wages on a farm which would allow him to maintain his wife and, say, three children in town. If farmers were willing to have an award made for these hovs and men on tho farm,, let them bHng.iii as many hoys as they liked. Mr. D .M'Laron said, that the question was one of votes. There was a strong competitionJiy' both partied for the farmers’ vote, and that was the'reason for tho expenditure of public money to get farmers cheap labour, and also the, .dosire to-exempt the farmer from the operation of the arbitration awards. The remit was agreed to.