A SHILLING A DAY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2301, 21 May 1886, Page 2

A SHILLING A DAY.

The Chrietian World uf February 16th has an article on the distress from which we quote the. following extract :■*-!' About a moiith ago a large manufanijfri- carry, on on extensive works no'arM)o milei from London said, in roferenofl#th» accounts of distress in London, 'I do not believe one-tentli of it.' In, a letter ndlressad to the Rev.. Andrew Moarns, whose efforts to better the condition of me poor, are. bo well known, the same gentleman said, 'You' say repeatedly that respectable men-are to be found lying here and there in the cold or walking the streets who would bo glad to work for a shilling a day. Now this ii more especially what 1 disbelieve. lam convinced that thoy would not work • three days at that price. Bad as trade is no man need be out of work who will work for a shilling or eighteenponce a day. Happily, this expression of seep, ticism as to the willingness of mon to work was accompanied by an nffor to' engage 100 men at a shilling a day for un-. skilled labor, but work in which efficiency rould easily be acquired, and by which other men had boon able to rise to four m, and even six shilling a day.' Th« rater then proceeds to explain how the trrangement was tested. At the follow ng Sunday morliing breakfast at Collier'srents the matter waß incidentally men- • Mined, In answer to the questionHow many of you aro willing to work or a shilling a day lands woro held tip. Those M really ranted work were sskeU to attend the o lowing Wednesday. ( A sceptic doubted ' vhethor twenty oitt of the sevontwguld urn up, but as a matter of fact over3oo ion who had heard of the chance of work t a shilling a day wero at'tho place .and ime appointed oager fo avail themselves

of too offer. It was put to tho men thst they must have misunderstood the terms, rhe nature of the work-was made morafully known to them; tho rate of wagei \ was clearly stated ; the working imple- V ment-a grave and-turf-cutting spadewas exhibited; specimens of peat won shown; and it was explained that all who • accepted work would,.in addition to .tho f shilling a day, be provided with shelter at I night, plenty of cl.an Btraw, and a i blankoteach. It was exported that when these announcements wore made there r would be a general exodus, but only four i men left the hall, leaving upwards of 300 behind willing and anxious to undertake • the work. To further test them they were told that the work was on tho borders oa Lincolnshire, andjifaat the i railway fare was- about 15s.™fc was thought that this would Btngger tho mon and for a moment it did,, but thor ' quickly rallied to the realistic and oxclaimed, "All right, sir, that doesn't matter; we can walk down,' Some actually proposed to start that night. We can do it in a week if the gentleman will keep the work open for us/ This was evidence enough that the manwere m earnest, .fur not only: v$S they prepared to work for' a sMling a day, but to tramp nearly 200. miles to procure it. Tile men, however, were not put to -the task of walking. Arrangements were made for their conveyance to Lincolnshire, provision was made for their .physical comfort, and at the time appointed not a man'who had appointed to go was-missing -indeed, several extra men had -walked from the Borough to the Railway Station hoping that there might be a chance for them. Tho writer concludes his article in the following words :-Thia ex-penment-tho first of many to follow—has confirmed those who havo taken part m it of the sincerity of the majority'of working men in relation to the labour question. They are willing to work, and for small wage, rather than bec(4J|pau. pen or criminals. Possibly had'3ffe of the self-constituted luuikm of th'o working mon been consulted thoy would have prevented such an arrangement beini carried out." '