MR WITHY'S PANACEA FOR.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 220, 18 September 1888, Page 2

MR WITHY'S PANACEA FOR.

(Tp the Editor,) ■ Sis,-— .Mp Withy has aaaerfeed himsolf before

the electors of Newton. He haa told them as clearly as words could express his meaning that! they must accefit him, as.-; their dictator, and that Be will continue -to Irdle and guide them in such a manner that they will be able (with Mr ; WithW; help);, ,tjo;eke out for themselves and their familhji-r a bare existence. He will hot" allow them.any luxury; beer and tobacco' must be forgotten ;' cordutoys arid moleskins will' Be their daily garb; the butcher's bill must be reduced ; the'toilers must live On doar-br bread, in fact, he will have their wages? sc curtailed that io will be morally impossible for them to be " extravagant." What, then ? The capitalists will1 be the more enabled to eri]'6y their luxuries, and receiye their " shent per shent" outbf their .investments. The employers and moneyleriderswill "sweep the pool," whilepooi Jack " wo.ks life out to keep life ih.£ The young men must give up the gataes oi football and cricket. .. Such! amusonaenti are only/to^be indulged in by the "better 'class, and the mere working man must sell hiß boat and. bicycle and live in sackcloth arid a_hbs until we, "the heWersof wood land drawer- of water," have cleared off the national debt. It is tjuite easy; Look hbvy cheaply we could live if we only used ourselves to it. The niggers -of South Carolina, slaves though they were; - dressed as well as we should wish for, and got as much food as they•> could eat. "Everybody in the colony has suffered,;' siiriper- forth Mr Withy, " except the, mj_'ii receiving salaries of £150 and below that.' What compeiiied men to fly to the villagf settleiments -~,>vas' it riot euflefingj; anc hardship? What is causing the greai exodus from the colony—is it not there duction of wages arid the fear of.starvation' Yet Mr Withy most audaciously asks th< working classes to humbly coriseut to a re duction of their wages that, his class maj not feel the increase of taxation.- Mr Withj had the temerity to stand before his con stituents arid dictate terms such as thest to them, and they cheered him again anc again. , ._'' ■ ■'• _ Bravo, Mr Withy! Well done !If yot leave us, "a great calatdity will befall thii colony." That is: the opinion of ©tie, "E.ir.Gi" But if you should feel disgusted and turn ybUr back upon üb, be persuaded, I pray, to leave behind you "E.jT.G ;", foi without'that genius (whoever he i_) th. Icouri-rj1 is'doomed.—l retnain, etc.,; S OtDHAND..

(To the Editor.)

Sib,—•! shall eSfeem it a fa-vOuf if you, will allow me through your columns to refer briefly to the address delivered by Mr Withy on Tuesday evening last.; Iri* the first place Mr Wibhy s assurance appears' alnojoßt incredible ; we may assume that his audience was composed largely of moderately iritelligent men, yet he stated thab in- his belief bhe majoriby of thpae present Were utterly ignorant of the past Fariiatiientary hisbory of .the colonyj and probably lamentably to bltimo for the! wrbrig-dbihgs of late. Governments. .It is hard tb understand how a man of Mir Withy's capabilities could entertain to idea So absolutely absurd, because there is little doubb that the majority Pf his hearers were quite cognisant of fabtS whiijh Mr Withy.appeara to imagine were being dragged to, light by himself. However; considering his exceedingly limited experience iri matters pertaining to the colony, he may,, perhaps, be excused. He willj doubtless, in time be b_ ought to understand thab ! when addrensing an Auckland audience jhe is speaking to a class of beings far : superior to thbse who wohld inhabit the colony if bhe workiog; coinrnubity were dragged down to the level apparently desired by the hon. member for Newtorf. "'j- : Mr Wibhy referred briefly to the question which, withoub doubt, was the most imporj taut and interesting to most of his hearers, viz;,:.;wages. :■-, Ho _ glibly.,explained his reasons fbi; aotirig iri a manner which appeared to many to be detrimental to the iritereßts of the working classes j and no doubt his explanation was quite satisfactory to a foVVj5 but I think I may safely aslert that, the portion of his Jiudierico Composed of thinking* intelligent * working, ineri considered bis explanation (if I may be allowed the term)i.a "pplibe shtiffle." . : According to " Hariaard," Mr Withy stated that a certain nuiriber of workttieh in Gqvernirienb ; employ, were re'eeivirig more than the market value for tbeir labour, yet on Tuesday evening when asked to give an apprbxipiate idea aB to the preserit valu«> of labour iv New,Zealapd, he replied that this wouid be a matter for careful consider-: ation., , .. :, lb seemß that; facts which 'Mr > Withy j must necessarily be'acquainted with do not' ;convince him that the Government pay leSej than the market rate, bpb, I, venture, to, Sayi thai) if hb has brie-third the brain power he professes to ha\e, Mr Withy irill \ find with a little inquiry that this is actually; ! the pase*,-.:..r1,". ;•:-:■ v ';■;. .-;., ,'-o- .;,-", ~i. . '.:._.._ Mr Withy was asked why he voted in favour of Mr" Maxwell's salary remaining intact. In effect, he informed his audience that he did not vote fb_'the'feductibri because Mr Maxwell's services were liable to be dispensed with altogether, aud he did riot think it righc to g^ve hintf an eix;trakiok. He went on to Bay;that Mr Maxwell would probably very shortly, receive an increase of £500 per annum— abbther re_sbn' why he could not vote in favour of reducing his Salary. Mr Withy is too terider-hearted to kiok his "aris-' tocratio " frierids,'yet hb would not Scrapie to kick those to whbrii the -lightest breath of adversity means abject poverbj 7.^—Lamj etc.," . ', . MjsottANib.