THE LABOR PORBLEM.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3606, 5 September 1890, Page 2

THE LABOR PORBLEM.

New York, July 18.—During the recent National'Touiperance Congress here Samuel Gompers challenged the statement that the working men were made intemperate by eight hours of labor, It was affirmed in the controversy that ensued that Chancellor Übschen had said that the reduction of the hours of labour of dookmen had increased the driuking habit, Gompsrs wrote to Gosclien ;w and got a' denial of this statement/* He also wrote to-John Burns, who sent a letter in reply, in which he said:—"The. Chancellor of the Exchequer did not say that the increase of wages and reduction of hours of labour of the dooklabourers . of London 1 had' merely tended to' inortase their drunkenness, and largely contribute to an increase in the Treasury from the liquor traffic His statement was that the increase of two millions was due to ** ' tho faot that = the people had *»»,. been toasting the prosperity of trade in the country. I attended a meeting last night of 6000 dock labourers, and asked those who' ought to know what was the effect of higher wages and better conditions, and the universal opinion was that the workersoorf r London who have received better wages are more sober than ever they were. As an abstainer myself, I am delighted at the conduct of tho dockers and more thin pleasod at the diminution not only of drinking, but of betting amongst them,' due in no small measure to'' the faot : that their leaders, Messrs , Manu, Tillett, and others, are torn- M perancemen. The greatest enemies I have in Loudon are the betting meu and the publicans. Theenmity ■ is a testimony to this effeot, that we ask for a reduotion of hours for moro leisure and education, and that we urge the men to spend their higher wages in home comforts. In twenty years the amount spent on liquor per head of population has decreased ?0 per cent, while the aggregate has increased through v the growth of population. In England, as else- A, where, the short hour movement has always tended to sobriety and increased the intelligence of tho workers,"