Untitled

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4727, 22 May 1894, Page 2

John Webb's Upeech to the Wellington Unemployed, [To the Editor W. D, Times,] Sin,—l was up early in the morning to post a letter and as I came away from the Post Office, I overtook a woman, whose' neglected dress and tottering gait indicated feebleness and want. I turned to look ill her face and oh what 'a world of misery was there. She look un and saw my pitying eye and blurted out her story of want, hunger, and wretchedness. She had come from Blenheim, where for ten vears she had supported her lmsband by her industry, and made a home for him. He was a pig-headed man and would not insure his propel ly spying there was no danger as they were careful and bad no neighbours, but a fire swept everything before it and they were homeless,. She came to "Wellington and hos.lived bypawaingher clothes and since Monday lit'd not tasted food and had slept out every night on ground at the end of Moleswo 'th Street.: In addressing 230 uucmployed.nien on the Eeclnination Ground. \Vliilo in Wellington, at _ 8 a.m., this is what I said :—" Glorious times these, boys! Isn't it grand to starve? Goodjto be out of work. loafing is so enjoyable. How long arc you going to stand it? That is what I want to know. That's what I have come down from Pabiatua to find out, Aro you ready to answer the tpiestion, or arc you so weak, so effeminate, so cowardly, that you dare not strike for liberty and freedom P Are you going don n to your graves victims of man's avarice and greed ? You are not in a land built up of stones such, I stand upon, whoso barren soil will not yield a blade of grass—much less an car of com or a mur»hy,—but you are in a laud teeming wiln love and benovolence to man, and only men arc vile, brutal, and unpitying. Come Ictus givocombat to the causes operating against us. The Government, the Moneyoeracy, and the Labour Unions. Each and all are ci'iislihig out Free Labour, briujiiigitdowntoihedus!; to wallow in the mite of degradation, want and inisciy. These tlivie forces each contending against the other, and all united to crush a thi-,'d of the population. We must bo united, hand iu baud, shoulder to shoulder, if anything is to be done to relieve the existing ('-stress. That thing (poinimrto the shelter slied) is no good to yon. You .won't lie the c to-night and for the sake of , tea ami breakfast, the money value of which is Bd, briak a yard of metal value 2s (id to-morrow; not you! You lipvo more sense, more will, more pluck, more endurance ; you know it's a suave and a delusion. It is dishonest, and a villainous masquerade of cliarily and benevolence. ' But there is something good in sio~ c for you. Mr Yan Stavcren acknowledges the usefulness of this farce, and lie is going to test your desire for work by giving you wo"k, road making in the Borough of Melrose, and you will have a rosy time there. He is with unbounded generosity going to g : vo you the noble offer of "four bob a day," and the &IC3 or £SOO collected by t-!io voluntary offering of your gene-,.ous : citizens is to be economised and judiciously expended in'hat favoured Boroiigh (soioy lam not a land-owner there). ■_ Ifow cheer him! Why don't you move a vote of thanks and confidence? .Yon surely can't have any wish uugfatified now! If I had no better remedy to offer you I would not stand oil this heap of stones to mock your misc-iy and slight your manhood and independence. But I have a ]>lnn of icl''cf and belli which commends itself to eve-y light- tniuking man, and I inn here to-day to lay it before you. I pronoso to establish shelter sheds and food depots in the couuti/, each shed to havo a tree labour agencv. and work on hand for thooO who nccu it, One shed has been opened at Pahiatua at my own expense, at which, up to Wednesday, with J5 beds of flax, 90 meals have been given. Mr Bcetham has kindly granted me the use of the men's hut athis boiling down establishment at Waingawa, near Masterton, It is capable of holding 1C 3 men, and I am urepamUo take outtlist number and liml work for them in a reasonable spaco of .imo, If food or monoy is given me by the colonists of New Zealand, but I will have nothing to do with Government or Benevolent Asscmblys. I intend to make the shelter sheds and food depots self.simporting and I tell every man to send along a "bob" as soon as he is able and they will do this forme and more. But they would see the Government d— first. _ No it must be done by private or publio enterprise or it had better be left alone Sturdy independence is what we want, and must have, if we want to prevent a repetition of the starvation, stagnation now existing in our midst. I appeal to iS T cw Zealand colonists for money and food mid I believe I blijill not appeal in vain at the'present deplorable crisis. Wellington has fooled £133 away to its already over-gorged Benevolent Inslitutution. Hut it lias thousands it, could give for a noble object, if once it can be. made to sec its need and usefulness, Then don't dispair, whilo God reigns on high, and hears the cry of the poor and needy. You cannot be without a friend, willing and able to keep you out of this difficulty, and big us the task is I thank God it is not greater than our strength and power to overcome. 1 1 ■ t Wlicfi a youth In Tasmania I advocated free lands for the people when the place was almost depleted of population through the exodus to Victoria and New South Wales. The Government of that favourcdisle,unenlightened as they were, invited pensioners, to their shores and offered land at Oatlands. Some settled and were settled and done for, much as our village settlers and special settlers are done for now. Thoy starved upon land that would not grow grain n toot high. We ought to have more liberal land measures. When Tasmania saw the fallacy of what she ha:l done or le't undone, for the poor pensioners, what did she do ? Why opened up that beautiful fertile region—the Huon districtin G-10 acre blocks as free grants to settlers. Then clerks and shopmen threw down their pens and rushed the tiuon and became sawyers and splitters; then potato growers ; then independent men. In his opinion the occupation of bush land ought to be given free for the first three years and, afterwards at a low rental for thirty years, renewable at valuation, not on improvements upon the unearned increment, and in blocks of from 200 to 503 asrcsj suburban lands from 10 to IGJ across; and town lands from} to 10 acres, under the same regulations. A stamped receipt should be sufficient lease and .transferable, and it should only be ncccssaiy to enter a Land Office and register your claim, just as a difficr -takes out his license and comply with regulations, Such an arrangement would lie just and equal and meet all needs. Then money must be made cheaper by law, and protection must bo given to eveiy industry'that can give worktoourarmy ofidlemcn and idlewomctiboys andgirls, for their wants arc supplied by the community either willingly or unwillingly. The burden has to be home by those in wprkand those who ■ have money,' you givo it to benevolent""fools to waste or business BlOlfto use wisely and well, give you must, if you waut security from plunder and want. Ahugo skeleton is at your door and fear will make you givo, if you will not