THE QUEENSLAND UNEMPLOYED.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7803, 5 March 1891, Page 5

THE QUEENSLAND UNEMPLOYED.

Sir S. Griffiths, Premier of Queensland, used some outspoken language to a deputation of unemployed, which waited on him to ask the Government to provide work for them, and stop immigration, stating that there were about 1000 unemployed in Brisbane. In reply, Sir Samuel Griffiths said he had always sympathised with the workers, and had always considered that the relations between capital and labor were on a wrong basis. With a view to obviate the past conditions of trade, unionism was introduced, and did work which was of great value and with which he quite agreed. But judging by the recent utterances of the labor leaders, a very different state of things was being brought about. The labor party said masters were tyrants, but what they proposed doing themselves was to introduce a tyranny of the men. They proposed that no man should work unless he was a member of a union, and then, when all men were members of unions, they could only work upon terms with which unions concurred. Such a tyranny would not only be as bad as that of employers, but worse, it would be resisted by employers and could indeed only be brought about by a revolution in time. What would happen—what was happening in Queenslaud and all over the world—was general distress. The people who had money were afraid to spend it, because they could see no benefit in doing so as long as the labor leaders kept up the present position. They did not really know what they wanted, and the consequence of their action was a general want of confidence and want of investment of money. It was a very serious matter. A certain consequence of the present attitude of the labor leaders was a great loss to everybody. They were in fact all poorer now than they were six months ago, and if that sort of thing continued there was no saying what it would come to. The Government could not help the present unemployed trouble any more than it* could help the tide rising. The effect of all this would be a general reduction of wages—probably a permanent reduction. He wished those on both sides would view the matter from the standpoint that it was to the interest of both to assist each . other. It was no use dividing the people of the colony into employers and employed, and regarding them as hostile to each other. If the men would only go by steps, and be content, then they would get a great amount of assistance from the citizens, and the state of things would be changed.