STATE of the LABOR MARKET IN CALIFORNIA.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 663, 26 May 1870, Page 3

STATE of the LABOR MARKET IN CALIFORNIA.

An article appearing in a recent issue of the Wellington Independent describes the distressed condition of the laboring classes in California. The writer says:— Mr W. Thomas Wills, of Mount Wilis, near Branxten, West Maitland, who has just returned from a visit to California, gives a very gloomy description of the state of things in that country. He spent about thirteen months there, and travelled in all directions. He stayed a few weeks at San Francisco. Thence he went to Truckey, Wadsworth, and Carline, and remained several days at each of these places. From Carline he went to Humboldt's Wells, where he stopped two months. He obtained employment there, but did not get paid for it. He then went on to Augdon, thence to Salt Lake. He worked for five months at Beaver City, where he earned the only wages that were paid

him in the country. He passed through the towns of St George and St Joseph, and travelled over the great Rocky Mountain and desert, and through Colquhoun's Pass. He then went to St Barnadine, where he remained two weeks looking for employment, but could not get it. From this place he went to Los Angelos, thence to Wilmington. He remained at each of these places for about two weeks, and then returned to California. At all ef these places—with the exception of Salt Lake, Beaver City, St George, and St Joseph, where the people appeared to be pretty comfortable—he states that there was scarcely any employment for the people. He gives a moat deplorable account of the condition of the people employed on the Great Pacific Railroad. He visited that part of the railroad where the two lines meet, known as Junction Point. Whilst there he states that a thousand men were thrown out of employ, and their places filled by Chinamen. The social condition of the people at work on the railroad near this place would appear to be in a shocking state. He states that it is not an uncommon cir- | cumstance for the corpses of three or ; four men to be found in the morning lying along the railroad, who had been murdered in the night. The corpses of these murdered men are often left to lie for days without burial. As regards San Francisco, he states that there are thousands of men out of employ, many of them being men who had worked on the Great Pacific Railroad, but whose places had been filled by Chinamen. He both saw and conversed with hundreds who were utterly unable to obtain employment. Many who left Sydney for San Francisco are in a most destitute state, and would do any thing to get back again. He

has known many instances of persons reduced to such a state as to be glad to get pieces of biscuits thrown to them by the sailors on the ships lying at the wharves. He gives a good description of the appearance of the country and its resources, but he describes the gold and silver mines as having in a great measure failed, or been worked out, and says there is little doing at the mines at present. He Las brought with him the following certificate which, perhaps will be perused with interest:—" This is to certify that never has such distress prevailed in San Francisco, California, as for the past five months. At present it is estimated that seven thousand artisans and laborers are unemployed; and it will be pure kindness to warn Australians against coming here for another year or so, unless they have the wherewith to maintain themselves until employment is obtained. The bearer, Mr Thomas Wills, now returning to Sydney, can give a true statement of the condition of many Australians now here in a state of distress. A. B. Currie, Secretary British Benefit Society."