MR RUSSELL THE WORKING MANS FRIEND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2347, 26 July 1887, Page 2

MR RUSSELL THE WORKING MANS FRIEND.

Til TilK EllITO!:. rim,—Your loaders will have heard or read in your columns the many expressions of Air Russell re the advantages lie purp s---bestowing mi the working man, and 1 am sure every one would be dclight-d if they meant anythin;,' more than griping him their .support. May I ask how .Mr it ;-- ’1 reconciles his Vailo scheme at C.imb: i!?-. wheretiy t!ie fanners could pet an abundance of cheap labour to gather in the harvest, with his statement at Cambridge West that the farmers wanted men to work for two shillings and sixpence per day. This is what the farmers would like to grind the working man down to, but elect him to the House of representatives, and lie would see that every man got ins thirfvsix shillings every Saturday night, Ac., Ac. This, Sir, is a gross libel on the farmer, and an insult to the intelligence of the working man, a statement in direct opposition to the truth, and no one knows it belt -r than Mr Russell. Let ns see how this Vaile's scheme may ctfcct the working man. I’assenger's fare, Auckland to Waikato, 2- T,d : farmers, grinding lot, 255, will bring up ton men; starve the present men out; force them down to 2s tid per clay or leave the district; no matter, plenty more men in Auckland ; t’2 10s per score will run then, up. Is it not singular that this grinding! t of farmers, with such a glorious prospect before them of accomplishing their < hject, should say almost to a man—" It is not cheap passenger fares we want at all, but the freights on our products reduced to the lowest possible rates that we may be enable to pay a fair days wages for a fair days work.' Mr Vaile's scheme is one of the stoutest planks in Mr Russell's platform. Who are the people that want it; not the working man? Is hj the storekeeper, so that the settlers can get to Auckland cheap and spend their money, instead of supporting their own townships ? I think not. Is it the wheelwright, or the blacksmith, that want it, that we may »!! go to Auckland and get new vehicles” and implements, instead of supporting our local industries, and repairing the old ones. This may be, they are a progressive body, and desirous* of proving they are up with the times if so generous. A'ow fellow electors, we have the opportunity of choosing a sworn supporter of Vaile’s scheme in ~Mr Russell, and a strong determined supporter of railway reform in Mr Whyte. The farmer does not want Vaile's scheme, his time is too valuable at home. If our railways were so constructed that our trains could run at the rate of fifty miles per hour that we could leave Cambridge at 8 a.m. and be in Auckland at at 10 a.m., have ti hours in Auckland. leave at 4 p.m. home at I) p.m., tiiere might be something it. but three davs journeying to Auckland and back, to do‘a few hours’ business, is a tiling we do not want. To educate country people up to it is not encouraging thrift and industry, and is not calculated to aid in improving our broken fortunes. It as moeii'eiieigv had been expended on reducing the tariu on our cattle AT per truck, ami other bulky products os per ton, as has been expended on Vaile’s scheme, it would have hon an accomplished fact ere this, and we should have had many more pounds in our pockets, and he enabled to employ more labour, thereby increasing the productiveness of our land and increasing the quantities of products for our railways to carry for us. Let every man look the matter carefully through, and I think the decision will lie we do not want Voile's scheme nor the man that advocates it. They are both going the wrong way to materially help the condition of any section of the community. We want a man that j wjU go in for railway reiorm hot and strong 1 in the freight mi our products, and re- ! trenchmeiu ah round, and we la,v thi- in i Mr M byte. '\"ikii.g u.si:, yet; want the j farmers iii employ yea ; they aro d<'-'iw.b to do it. bat you must help -nd y-.u can materially do it by ruling hj r the ! who will not vote fhr a scl u i v j passenger fares are the first tn i . ! bat will vote that the one great .d.Rct • I railway reiorm shall first lv drier-!, d t j securing to this agricuiiural :ii;,i !>»-:■; :i district tlie carrying of its product:, at the lowe-.t fJossime rales.—Veins uhniivullv, loi,:-Oil,