The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1879.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1085, 7 June 1879, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1879.

Equal and exact justice to aU men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shaU the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and tmbribed by gain.

The agitation by the unemployed m the Middle Island is still being carried on, though sido by side with such intelligence the telegram elsereads oddly enough, that the men employed by the contractor on the first section of the Grey- Hokitika Railway had struck for ten shillings a day, the price offered being nine shillings only. Erom the reports of the meetings held lately at Christchurch, which we have published from time to time, it wonld seem that those taking part m them are agitating not so much for work as for work at a certain price, and that the movement is made rather to maintain the present high > price of labor than from any actual scarcity of work. One of the speakers at the first meeting stated that he had only had one months' work since January last, a statement than which none could have been made more damiging to the'object for which the meeting was ostensibly held, for from that month to the present time the scarcity of labor and high rate of wages paid for it have been notorious- The movement, too, seems to have been turned to a practical purpose by the lotal governing bodies, for at the meeting held on the 30th ult. at Christchurch, it was sought to induce the Government to grant the Christchurch and Sydenham Borough Councils a subsidy ot <£ for £ jjo en&W them

to employ a large number of hands on certain local work*-. The Government has very properly not acceded to Such proposal, but has instructed the Ene;ineer-in-Chief to lay off a portion of railway construe tion at Waipara on which the vn r employed may take piece-work at 1 ' a rate which would enable them to earn six shillings per day. Onr latest telegrams say that this offer has not been satisfactory to the undm ployed. A curious fact m connection with this alleged want of employment m the Canterbury' distriot is that tha nominations undor the system of nominated immigration received .by the' Government last month at Christchurch for transmission by the outgoing mail, were the most numerous made at Christchurch fot' any one month, namely, 259 adults. These nominations are made by persons m the colony who are required to promise to receive their friends ou arrival and do. their' bast to assist them m finding employment. It is clear therefore, that even m Christchurch there can be no widespread distress, nor even an appearance ot anything of the kind, or no sqch number of nominations would have been made. Not, long since, too, the- Minister, of Public Works stated that tenders for railway contracts this yoar were from forty to fifty per cent higher than m former years owing to the scaroity of labor. r JJhe Government will, however, do well to take advantage of the occasion, should a temporary depression m some parts of the colony and the special season of the year render labor less scarce, by pursuing the same course as they have commenced m tbe case of the Waipara extension line, and Jay off sectionsof rail wayin different parts of the colony, on which piece-work. can be let at rates which will provide remunerative employment, and at the same time not unduly interfere with the labor markst as between employer and employed. If the Government will do this they will effect three good objects— they, will provide employment for those who need it, and cannot obtain it elsewhere ; they will cut the ground from under the feet of those amongst the working classes who having come to a laud where living is cheap and labor highly paid, are selfishly agitating to shut out others m the mother country from coming to share m these blessings ; and they will be getting the work of the Colony done at a more reasonable rate than has lately been the case. As yet we have not heard m this district of any change m the labor market, but it is quitq possible, as the winter sets m and as the local road boards — who have spent the most of their funds, and many of whom have mortgaged those to come, on public works during the past summer — issue no fresh contracts that many here will not find it so easy to procure employment as they have done. In such case the Government may, with advantage ! to the colony and to the district, , do as they have done m the case of j the Waipara Extension, and let the earthworks on the first section of the Thames-Waikato Railway at this end on piece work.