The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE Proprietor. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1897.

Waikato Argus, Volume III, Issue 213, 23 November 1897, Page 2

The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE Proprietor. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1897.

Whenever a follower of Mr Seddon or that gentleman himself mounts the stmup or grasps the pen, it goes almost without saying that they will eulogise the labour legislation wh'eb they have boon instrumental in passing and claim for themselves and the party, the credit of having made the life of the working men of New Zealand happy and prosperous. It is true that they have passed all sorts of legislation, calculated to harass the men who find employment for the people by the use of their capital and brain'. They have given a legal status to trades unions, which exist solely for the purpose of securing to the members the highest rate of pay for the smallest amount of work which the clastic conscience of the unionist will allow him to perforin for the money he receives and feel no .shame. This legislation had win ir the last census was taken, if not time Id beatripe fruit, plenty for the fruit to

form on the branches and give a fnir indication of the crop to bo reaped. We find on reference; to the pages of the return that there were no less than 14,759 males and 2037 females out of employment. These figures indicate a very serious state of affairs. The officiul year book gives the following particulars of the state of affairs in April last : Unemployed male population, OT per cent, of the male breadwinners and 3'9 per cent, of the whole male population. In the industrial class the proportion of unemployed was as high as 11*44 per cent, of males and 6'06 of females. The Registrar-General points out that the proportion was very high among general and road labourers, printers and book-binders, boiler-makers and fitters, ship boiler makers and fitters, eouchbnilclers and wheelwrights, shipwrights, cabinetmakers and upholsterers, tailors, bookmakers, blacksmiths, stone masons, bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, house painters and plumbers. The above list includes a very largo proportion of the trades followed in the colony, The question the working men have to ask themselves is as to what extent are the additional privileges they enjoy responsible for this state of affairs. For our part wo have little doubt that many who may have contemplated starting industries have been deterred by the particularly advanced legislation of the past few years.