A NOTABLE HARVEST HOME.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1688, 17 May 1884, Page 4

A NOTABLE HARVEST HOME.

(From the New Zealand Herald.) The Harvest Homo on the Matamata Estate this year was a very successful affair, Mr J, 0. Firth, proprietor of the estate, made to his workpeople a speech which contains; a great deal of food for study, We make some extracts:—

Nowadays wo hear a good deal said about the antagonism of capital and labor. Capital is not infrequently described as some dreadful ogre, seeking only to devour labor. Wow such talk as this in a new country lis pure nonsense and humbug, hardly worth notice were it not both mischievous and dangerous.—(Cheers.) These peoplo tell "us that capital must be manacled, that it must be specially manacled; that it must be specially taxed, and that disabilities of various kinds must be imposed upon it, Pew errors could be more dangerous or more fatal to the true welfare of labor. Eightly considered, capital and labor aro. mutual'helpers, and I say that whoever tries to drive capital out of; a new country liko this or whoever seeks by this means'to stop its introduction, is a public enemy.—(Cheers). Capital is a coy bird. It is very shy of being trapped and plucked. If we go on denouncing it and threatening' it with special taxation, so that it cannot find profitable occupation—we need not take the trouble to drive it out of.the Colony by clamour or legislation—it will take itself off soon enough, You all know something of cattle, .You sfee enough' of them every day. Well, capital and labor are like the cow and

the calf. The cow gives railk to, the calf until the calf becomes in its 'turn a cow. So, fed by capital, a laborer may become a capitalist. .. . ..j : Now as to the question'ofyvages. It appears to me that with suclUlov/ prices as agriculturists have.for'some! time past been obtaining for!their wheat, wool, and cattle, it is pretty evident that the present rate of wages cannot bo maintained. ■ When Canterbury farmers are getting about 3s a bushel for their'wheat ut the nearest railway station, it is clear that the capital of the farmers is rapidly passing into, the hands of their laborers. At present, labor gets the oyster; while in too ninny cases, capital gets only the shells, This you may say, is quite proper and pleasant, and what is wanted. But it must not be pushed too far, or capitalists will one of these days say, like the frogs in the fable, " what is fun to you is death to us," In short, if the rates of labor and the'price of the products of labor continue at their present respectivo levels, it does not need a very' wise man to see that farmers and their laborers before long will have to change places, Auckland at the ; present time is apparently looking well, this prosperity is, however, not so real as it looks.

I have endeavored to treat you more as friends than workmen. I have striven to make you contented and happy. You know very well I allow no bullying, no cursing at Matumata. —(Cheers,) If a man won't do a fair day's work without that forafair;day's wages and plenty of good food, he is no man for me, and he soon gets tho walking ticket—(Cheers,) You know I allow no drinking at Matamata, There is no publichouse on the estate and never will be (loud cheers) as long as I hold it. System, order, obedience, and regularity are the aim of tho management on this estate. I see a number of you are wearing the blue ribbon and I am heartily glad to see that. The wearer of tho blue ribbon is far more likely to find a good master and to get good pay than a man who gives way to drink. Many have congratulated me to-day on the fine set of workmen i have at Mauamata, You can't be beaten, I know, when work is to be done. It any of you have not been well treated, get up and say so. ; I greatly regret that tho wretched prices now current for all kinds* of agricultural produce compel me to announce that'l intend to discharge the greater part of my workmen, ■ and reduce my outlay and operations on this estate to a minimum, Though we had a fair crop of wheat, of excellent quality for the season, and most excellent crops of clover hay, it does not pay to produce either at present prices, considering that all the time we aro impoverishing tho land and getting little or nothing for it. It is better to cease cropping, and let the land retain its fertility, than to exhaust the fertilising elements and get nothing to replace them. We have heard almost the last whirr of the machinery. It is a very painful thing for me to dispense, for some time at least, with as fine a body of men as ever worked for any master. But it must be dono nevertheless. When times mend, so as to warrant resuming operations, nothing will give me greater pleasure than for every ione of you to enter my service again if you so please. lam not ono of those, as you know, who think there is any degradation in labor. ■ On the con : trary, I think a manly and capable workman is one of the noble works of God.