The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JUNE 4, 1883. STATION HANDS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1396, 5 June 1883, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JUNE 4, 1883. STATION HANDS.

The Otago Daily Times has done good service to the public by calling attention to the condition of station hands in the Middle Island. Tho peculiar disabilities under which men in this position labor, are, however, common to all New Zealand, and the lesson our contemporary inculcates might be taught with advantage, oven in the Wairarapa. Station hands are-well fed—proverbially so—but man cannot live by bread alone, and it is not sufficient for the well being of any class of men, that they should merely be supplied with ample rations. Good board does not compensate for bad lodging, and throughout New Zealand the latter is the rule rather than the exception, '.the whar6s in which station hands are quartered are too frequently small and uncleanly, The rude bunk and the scanty furniture offer little comfort either by night or by day. The confined space and the squalid surroundings are often more suggestive of a den rather than of homo sweet home. What is the consequence of men being thus "cribbed, cabinned, and confined V Is not health sacrificed so that the inmate of the station whare seeks relief from a morbid physical condition in an occasional burst at a public house, and eventually even a refuge in a hospital? In many instances employers are not in a position to give their hands comfn l able roomy quarters, but jn others .hey are wealthy .enough to, provide suitable homes for their men. In the latter case we would point out that it is not only their duty, but their interest to surround their rneu with home comforts. It is obvious that cleanly and commodious quartors on any station will attract and retain good men, and that even a lower rate of wages would be accepted by first-class men in exchange, for home comforts. We remember an instance of a manur factory in the Old Country which employed some five hundred hands at from ten to twenty per cent, less than the ordinary rate of wage?. In this establishment, in spite of the low rate of earnings, every vacancy was eagerly sought after simply because the establishment bore ahighchivractor. All its employees were cared for: cleanliness and good conduct were insisted upon from the highest to the lowest, The same pragtjco if adopted on New Zealand stations would be followed by the 'same results, Tho: best men will bo attracted, not necessarily by the highest wages, but by the most comfortable quarters. Men on stations ■ are too apt to be regarded as working machines when at their wharss, and drinking machines when away from them. That they may as a class rise to a higher position than this must be-'admitted by'all. That employers are to a certain extent responsible as'well''as employees for the unsatisfactory position of the latter is indisputable, Jn the early history of a colony " roughing it" was inevitable, but sooner or later the time comes when better condjtions.of existence can fairly be demanded, pd |)l)e reference by our Southern contemporary to the status of station-hands is one that should find an echo among the sheep walks of New Zealand.

Tho Masterton Borough Council meet Mr Wardell, R.M., sits at Greytown to-day. A general meeting of the members of the Wairarapa Caledonian (Society will be held on-Saturday the 9th day of June, at 7,30 p.m. ' , : : i - TbeHlaitertou fire-bell rang out a brief alarm yesterday pening on the strength of a was alight in Bannis-ter-street, ..''''.■Aj.As ;. : . • .'"' ■•...!■' Yesterday the Rov. A. Halbwaobs, S,ty. opened a Catholio School in Maaterton! There being in the opinion of Bishop Redwood a sufficient- number of Catholio children in this town to form a school the Eev, Father ; was, we understand, instructed to open one immediately. ;: The annual meeting of the Masterton District and tbeMaiiertonßproughLiceiiaing Committees take place to-morrow.: We understand that energetic- preparations are, being made for the Maslerton Fire Brigade Soiree, which takei place tomorrow evening: in • tfee; Theatre >EiOjral, Mastertpn.. This.re-uriiqn ;prdmises;to be a 'thownflh^pMessyS^^

A summoned meeting of Court Loyal Enterpriso A 0 -F, ifl convened for Thurs- [ day evening next."• ; Mr T! Thompson of the Prince of i Wales horse repository, advertises for the , owner of a buy horse, aaddlo, anil btidle. j The Salvation Army officers are nrrang- ( ing to opon a campaign in Wellington on , Sunday, the 17th, Tbe Tolara Lodge, No. 166, A.0.D., held their adjourned meeting at the Foresters' Hall, Onrtenon, on Monday [ evening, Bro, Bates, D.P., and Bros ' Oullon and Quick were in attendance to give tbe assistance requited in opening the Court for the first time, and several new members were initiated. The list of offioers was completed by the appointment of auditors. A committee was appointed to prepare bye-lows, and the I Bank of' New Zealand, Carterton, selected I as the bankers of the. Lodge. The adjournal meeting as to the resusoitation' of the Carterton Fire Brigade took place hst night. -Tho oommittee appointed at the prior meeting reported progress. Annual subscriptions amounting to £32 had been guaranteed, and the meeting was adjourned till Thursday week to allow the canvass of the town to bo corapletod The annual meeting of the ■Wellington Union Football Association will be hold in Wellington tho the 16th inst. Mr H. Pearson, tailor, has removed to more central premises opposite tho Post Office, Queen-iit. The Dtttiedin Baco Investigation! Company offer by advertisement m another column a prize of £1 Is and 2 shares .in the present event for the best composition to be used ,to advertise the result of the present investigation, We call attention to numerous additions to Mr F. H. Wood's stock sale on Thursday in the Pastoral Society's yards, Carterton, including all. classes of Bheep and cattle, dairy cows, and over thirty horses. A correspondent complains to us that the approaches to tho Waipoua Bridge aro to narrow that on two ocoaaiotiß when driving into Mastertonhe has narrowly escaped a capsize. A farmer suggests to us that now is the i time for sprinkling Ri'ound which is to be put down in wheat with a little poisoned grain bb an antidote to the depredations of small Jbirds. ■ At the B.M. Court, Featheraton, yesterday, the only ease heard was Sutton v. W. L, Travers, breach of Babbit Aot. 1 Ihe defendant pleaded guilty, and m fined five pounds. ' A miscarriage of justice is surmised in this district On 'March 16 one Herbert i Williams was sentencod to two months . imprisonment' with hard labor for impos- > ing in his capacity as a hawker on the , oredulity of a' purchaser. He appealed , against tho decision, and was, we under- ' stand, released on bail. Since then nothing has' been heard of the appeal and ' though three months have elapsed Her- • bert Williams remains still a free man. : Tbe criminal classes generally are anxi- . ous to know how this sort of thing is I managed. Since the arrival Mesjjrs Q'Malley and I Pepperel's navvies iii Mastertou the 'ftev. Father Halbwaohs has had the pleasure of celebrating two marriages among them. 1 The Beoond wedding took place this morn- ' ing, and the happy couple diovo off to the : Mulgrave Hotel in a brougham drawn by J a pair of spanking bay horses. " Clayson on the block" will soou, it is I reported, cease to be a household word in > Masterton, as the well-known caterer t contemplates settling m Gisborne, and is f negociating the sale of his business in this towu to Mr 0. Wilson, of Carterton,

Messrs B, Boys aud W, Booth, J.P.'s, held a aitiing at the Carterton Court yes terday to hear the Sirawbridge cases. Eli Strawbridge and Joseph Strawbndgu wore charged with larceny, una Thomas Strawbrid«e with receiving stolen goods. All prisoners pleaded nut guilty, and were remanded till 10-nioirow, when Mr Wardell will hold his usual fortnightly sitting. Detective Chrystal proved the seizure of haberdashery, boots, &c, at the residence of the accused, Son) 6of tho artioles were identified as stolon, and all were behoved to be illegally obtained Bail was allowed at L2OO for each prisoner, but was not forthcoming.

A young woman, of twenty, a native of India, is in Paris, where she passes for the most learned woman in the world, having an accurate knowledge of a dozen languages and a brain well stored with information in mathematics, astronomy and history. She is studying niodioine, and wijl go to India to practice, where she says thousands of her country women die every year because they would not consult male physicians. At Sandringham the Princess of Wales herself has taken up amusements with the impetuosity and ardour with which she is constantly adopting new pursuits, or bringing back into favor or fashion obsolete games. She has had a bowling alley built out of her dining room, spending most of her spare time in it, and playing after dinner with whoever has tl|e honor of being the guest of tho evening, Immigration to tho United States for the month of February aggregated 47,065, against 28,247 in the month of February, 1882. The total for eiijht months ending Feb. 28, was 300,484, •against.'37s,o93' in the corresponding months a year ago. Of the immigrants landing there in February 5044•came from Germany, 2802 from England and Wales, 2560 from Canada, 1592 from Italy, and 1543 from It is stilted that the oldest hand fire-engine in the United States is at Bethlehem, Pennyslvania. It was built by Brooks, of London, in 1698, and imported by the Moravians of Bethlehem the same year. In the yeai-1848, a% 150 years of useful service, it was deposited in the museum of the Young Men's Christian Society, where it still remains and is yet in working order. The maker's original bill and the shipping papers exist to attest these facts.

The question has often been asked how it is that the public can always obtain at iheßon Marche 1 at Buch reasonable prices the latest novelties, textures, and designs such as are now (being worn in all the most fasbionable.towns in the world, and desoribed in the leading' Fashion Books of the day and not at any other shop in Masterton, and in some-cases not in Wellington ] The reason to'us is obvious. L, j. gooper & Co., the proprietors, are thorough e?pfi'r'ts at tllo ' r business, and buy well, only; in'the very best markets, andjat such prices as will enable them to Bell well and cheap, and give their customers the benefit of their knowledge and experience. Also not being bound to purchase only from the Wellington merchants they import themselves for cdab, thereby getting a large discount, saving all middle profits!' and procuring the latest fashions, We advise everyone lo see thoir atook of millinery, to goods, hosiery, men's and bojß' clothing; aho look on another page of this paper for their—advertisement.

:;■ Wb?take the'; f^lovving^^-^^{tlie^, Timmu; Herald;—" In ''tue{M(?vpj|y; i a yer^ißJmunary; l iriritbbcl.' of "squaringj'accou&;-^||;' debtors,'; vNew ; Year's' Day-*Js;fca'e ! date~ fixed by law for: a settlement.? of "all debts, and a .person Syho fails; to corae up to time gats; no mercy. in Foo was set upon by his indignant creditors ;anddrdwnedr: The J?oo Chow:; Herald states the -officials rarely? interfere in these cases, and according to Chinese ethics -there is no reason, why they should/ In his native country a Chinaman.who cannot meet his New. Year settlements is expected to commit snicide, and by failure to follow this custom he forfeits "the respect .of his fellows, and bccomesan outlaw. I How would such a custom as.this answer in New Zealandl We areafraid that if it were legalised anil the present bankruptcy laws repealed, .there would be a good deal of all round Kilkenny cat play going on on theond oftheTimaru breakwater on New Year's Day,: The principal attraction in Queen-street this afternoon is a magnificent display of. new goods at. the Hall of Commerce, opposite the Club Hotel. We are informed that the new goods now being shown ib the third winter shipment of this season, and'consists of millinery, dress goods, silkaVsatipsJ 'velvets, plushes, and absortbd . woollen g00d5. ... We had occasion to take notice of the very nice display of G. \V. Schroder's first and second winter shipments "this season, but the present show exceeds the two previous ones as regards display and novelty.—Advx, We have purchased iu the colonial market 67 dozen of gentlemen's white shirts, marvellously cheap, and however unsatisfactory the price paid must be to tho importers, the public will be none tho leas glad to reap the benefit. These shirtß, made of really good material, and honestly worth 8s fid each of , any man's monoy, we shall sell at 3s Gd. The i secret of this is that they havo not militaiy fronts, but manifold pleats, and do not . button behind but before Nevertheless they will look every bit as well, and wear vastly better than ono of the other sort at a 1 much higher price. Many gentlemen of the i present day infinitely prefer this stylo, «nd I it is vory certain that our ancestors pati rouised no other shape. If Julius Ciesar wore a shirt at all, depond upon it tint he would aB soon havo turned his baok_ on his ' foes as have worn one buttoned behind. It ■ is morally certain that Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar, won all his victories in a shirt i buttoned in front, whilst we may tike it for granted that the Iron Duke at Waterloo ! sang out the command, "Up Guards aud at . them," from behind the bosom of a many : pleated shirt, Where ancestors and heroes 1 load the way, we may safely follow, and advantageously purchase these marvellously 1 choap and excellent quality shirts at .Limes I Smith's, To Aro House, Wellington.—Advt,