CORRESPONDENCE

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 199, 25 August 1886, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE

9 Village Settlements. (To the Editor.) The Secretary of the Port Albert Agricultural Apsociation and the members of that Society have thought fit to make the following assertion? : — " That the unemployed of Auckland are not the class of men to guccted in making homes in tbo bush ; that the men a^o inexperienced and physically incompetent; that not one rhalf 1ho?e attending tho moc-tings were .^toady, induttiicus men." I call upon you, Mr Editor, to footnote th's letter with a denial of some of these statements—those ■with regard to physical unfitness, want of industry, &c. 1 wish thoco members could have been present at any one of the meettings of thoeo interested in the village set tlomeuts to have seen for themselves the class of men who are likely to go — some :>f tho mo.-t industrious and steady mechanics and labourers of Auckland, I warrant them. Men whoare^otsatL-tiod with a charitable dolo ot work occasionally, but who are willing to work from early morn to dewy eve to make a selfsupporting home for themselves and families. About the experience. Where did the Nonconformist settlors of Albertland got all this vaunted experience ? Did they take it to Albertland with them? No, they got it where the unemployed expect to get it, in tho practice of bush home-making, just whe>e all our best settlers got it. Jealousy has prompted these bitter remaiks about men they never saw, as instance tbo remarks by several saying it was ira fair to deferred payment settlers, and tho statemont by Mr Beoroft, who says he was a mechanic once, that it would pay settlers to soil out, lock the price in the bank, and start village settling-. One member could not pay a big mortgage. So much tho bettor; let him pay interest to the country instead of to the land sharks-. These members would eagerly support a measure to give farmers cheap public loans, but call loans to unemployed on the strength of their improvements " opposed to tjie principles of political economy." Let ue have a chance, and we will show them brains, muscle, giit, and bush homes.— Yours truly, Ax Unemployed Settler. ■» 1