CORRESPONDENCE. LABORERS WAGES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2281, 28 April 1886, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

LABORERS WAGES.

To The Editor.

Sir,—A correspondent signing himself "Traveller" in your contemporary's issue of the 22nd inst., has a long rambling lott'er on the vexed-labour question.' I am afraid that he has been very unfortunate during his travels in obtaining information on the question he has attempted to write about,, or he certainly would not have made himself so ridiculous as to havo written such absurdities as he did on the subject. That he has not travelled outside tho Wairarapa I feel almost certain, for had.ho gone either to Christchurch, Dmiedin, or Auckland, he would havo at ■oiioo found that hundreds of men wore daily petitioning the Government to bo taken on tho several works that havo been started for the. relief of the unemployed, and they willingly accept the wages offered, viz., 3s .(id per day. • "Traveller" says that the men employed by tho Council, in consequence of the reduction pf a shilling per day from their wajes, will not be able to keep a horse, and consequently will nat, on account of tho distance they have to travel, be able to work five or six homy a day. I should liko to ask "Travollor" what answer they would get were the men referred to to apply to some private firm-for employment, and tell the manager that they could not possibly get to work hefure ten o'clock in the morning as they lived 'a long distance away, and they could not afford to keep a horse on account of the low wages, Why, tho manager of tho firm would at once inform.them that-.they- must live clouer to tho work, and if that did not suit them, he would got soino other men that it would suit. That tho Council has got to provide its employees with horses (or what amounts to the same thing) by giving t hem a shilling a day extra for that 'purpose, is utterly absurd. The Council can got lots of men quite as good, as those which it now employs.for 6s and even B3 per dav, who would only be too glad to come from any part of New Zealand. 1 certainly think that while things are in such a, frightfully depressed state, and while hundreds of men are almost starving in the principal centres of New Zealand and avo daily applying to. tho Government to be taken on the relief works at fa 6d pur day, the men employed by the Wairarapa East County Council have no reason to complain. I further think that while wages .are'so-low, iu other parts of tho Colony, the Council would bo quite justified in further'reducing their wages to os per day) for I cannot see any reason why tho men employed by the Wairarapa East County Council have any ri?ht to expect or to get more than men employed by municipal bodies in other parts of tho Colony, The workmen are certainly only making a rod-for their own backs, becauso as soon as men less liberally, treated in other parts hear that 6s a day is being offered by the Council here, there will be dozens coming from all pajrts and offering their services. 1 can assure " Traveller" that if an advertisement was put iu a Christchurch or Dunedin paper for 20 men at 6s or even 4s per day, there would be over 100 apply. 1 think if "Traveller" and his friends are wise, they wiilkwe well alone, and not tempt the Council to make a further reduction. lam,&o„ 0-HB THAT HAS TrAVBUED.