The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1891.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3705, 8 January 1891, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1891.

After a long interval the Trades and Labour Council at Wellington has made a demonstration by convening a meeting to consider the present position and future prospects of unionism. To this gathering the parliamentary representatives of the city weye invited, and Mr Duthie, M.H.R., made an admirable speech, wnicb, though it gave unionism some hard knocks, appeared' to be listened to with attention. Mr R. S. Ha\7- ias > wu ° attempted to follow in the same vein, appears to have been less happy, as the meeting objected very strongly to being taught by him. The strong point of unionism lies in the fact that men in the city are now paid higher wages for fewer hours of work than formerly. What the average rate of increase is per diem we do not know, but if we werecto assume that a working man now makeß ten shillings per week more than he used to do, we shall give him credit perhaps for a greater benefit than he is really receiving. Still many men who command employment earn as much as ten shillings a week more than they received previously, but many men unfortunately earn little or nothing. Unionism has benefitted some men at the cost of others, it has fenced off a number of men from the wages fund, and this gives a better dividend to those who are fortunately within the ring. But is the working man, whose wages are now ten shillings a week higher, much better off than he used to be ? We fear not, because employers have become unionists in their turn, and the working man's butcher charges him a hUle more for Lis meat, his baker has raised the price of his bread, his grocer has raised the price of bis tea wid sugar, and his landlord has stiffened his rent. From all we hear the principal gainers by unionism in the Empire City are the employers. One of the latter wliis pered to us the other day: " W 7 e have a boom now in the city." Combination has raised the trade prices, and the public enable the employer to give his hands better wages, and himfself a biggerprofit. Unionism is very popular in Wellington just now amongst employers of labor 1 The laborers fancy they are doing well, but the employers know they are making their pile. There are, however, certain employers in the country who cannot raise trade prices, and Mr Duthie did good service by calling attention to the fact that the producers of N.Z., the farmers, have to work for such rates as competition, all the world over, may determine and that unionism does not benefit them. It is somewhat hard, too, that the producers of the Colony who are out in the cold with respect to any benefits obtainable from unionism, should be 6elecied by trade and labor councils for special taxation, indeed,

some advanced members of these bodies propose to put all taxation on to their shoulders. The moral is that " A Farmers' League,"—a political league—should be organised for NewZealand, that it should have its head quarters at Wellington, and should protect the interests of the producers of the colony by the same means that a similar league uses in the neighboring colony of Victoria. By common consent of employers and employees unionism has been accepted as a trade principle, and it is idle to deny that it has a future in this colony. A counter organisation is needed in the shape of a farmers' league, and unless the producers of the colony wake up to the necessity of organisation they will find tha the trade and'labour councils hav become the masters of the colon y and they, the real. true workers o New Zealand, their slaves.