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Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1090, 19 June 1879, Page 2

The question of labor supply is one of such importances to the colony that we return again to the subject of the late agitation m Qln-istchwrch, copying from the local papere now to hand the full report of the meeting. ' A persual of tbe short speeches given will be quite sufficient for the purpose of

forming nn opinion on tho merits of tho case. Ciisir'.y it w.is not a meeting of the working men of Canterbury, for working 1 men now rtaya are too ordmlv and intelligent to droauv of advancing any real claim for consider i lion by s us* crestions to stick up banks, or by threats that 'honest at present they cinnot say how lon^ ihey will remain so. for bhfic if they cinnot s[et money one way they, will tret it another. Neither should we Hud them objecting to piece work m order that by the adoption of day wages the less skilled and able" may be able to earn «»s much as the best men among them. All this savours of tlie .Trades Unions aud the~ stumping |tgitatora of the mother country, who rising m troubled time* like scum to the surface, aggravate periods of depression and turn the really suffering workmen into., their own worst enemies. It was not to be expected, and especially at the present time, but that we should (yet some of these among the immigrants newly arriving, but that such agitations will make any real effect upon the Go- ! vernment we do not believe, nor need they. As we have said before, the movement is one not to obtain work, but to keep up the price of labor, and the way for the Government to meet this is to provide piece work at which men may earn a fair wasfe somewhat less than the current rate of wages. By doing this they will avoid all after reproach for neglect of any actual distress which may exist, and they will not have unI duly interfered with the law of supply and demand which, to a certain point, should be allowed free play between employer and employed. The truth is, , the public works undertaken by the colony have seriously interfered with the progress of agricultural /Operations throughout New Zealand, inasmuch as the immigration portion of the scheme has not been made to keep pace with the construction of works. While laborers can obtain eight and nine shilliugs a-day on railway contract works, 'and getting nine shillings strike for ten, as was the case not a fortnight ago m the Middle Island. The reclamation of waste lands end the cultivation of lands already reclaimed must necessarily, save under very exceptional circumstances, come to a stand still. Of course, if labor were procurable at a more reasonable rate, there would be a very largely increased demand for hands m agricultural districts, but till this time conies settlers will be content to do as little as they well can, and pasture, not agriculture, will be resorted to as the only possible paying use to which the land can be put. The winter is now nearly half over, and any cheek given to immigration by the Government at the present time- m consequence of this cry, would only just come into operation with the spring, and affect not the time of year when work is least plentiful but the reverse,