THE GOVERNMENT AND LABOUR.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8708, 2 February 1894, Page 3

THE GOVERNMENT AND LABOUR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. - Sir, —The correspondence between the Premier and the Mayor arid ex-member for Dunedin on the subject of public employment for out-of-works shows that the Government already see the necessity of inserting the thin edge of the wedge of hard fact into the superstructure of snowy promises by which they climbed into public confidence. Undoubtedly the Premier is quite ju3t and reasonable in his attitude; his argaments against firfding work for these applicants are possibly busi-ness-like and politic; the only objection to them is that they come rather late in the day aad are not by any means consistent with election pledges, and it is impossible that they should be. The policy which these pledges upheld was entirely suicidal for the labourer, and no government could consistently, follow it oat, though by repeated attempts it might drain the resources of tbe country and destroy the stamina of labour. It is to be hoped that the present attitude of the Premier may be a lesson to those who uphold this impossible coarse aud will make them more self-reliant. It is to be feared,, however, that the pernicious orinciples of the worst type of Radicalism have taken such deep root that nothing short of actual starvation win eradicate them. These out-of-works deturs per__*n«nt employment or

/nothing. "Ant Csesar, ant nihil," is their Icry t and any private employment which savonrs not ot State Socialism or serves to free them from the apron strings oi their beloved Government, to them savours of rebeliion. It is an actual fact that farmers have the greatest difficulty in securing per- , manent and reliable labourers, the competition of Governmen. relief works or of tbe ! subsidy to out-of;Works, supported as it is iby their own involuntary contributions, 1 greatly narrowing the labour market to j which they themselves have access. These 1 men not only lack ambition, but they have j au utter distaste for regular private employI ment or independent settliug ou the land, j Socialism, they think, must come, and anyI thing they do to help theaiselves wili delay J its advance. Such is the practical creed of j mo3t of these lamppost aftomers. and the fact that tbey are only mentioned as frequenting the town sufficiently attests the B.ture of their desires They will not wander into the country in search of work that i. crying to be done, but clamour for Government support which muat be paid for by the unfortuuate farmers for whom, they . will nob labour and whose produce they cannot aif.rd to buy. Of course the evils of thi. stace of things will in the long run recoil up in those -who are responsible for them ; but they never suffer very much, for they have very little to lose, aud the man with a stake in the con a try wili always feel the blow more heavily. There is, however, another aspect of the subject: several instances have come to notice where Government works compete with private enterprise, aud it is satisfactorily proved that the private concern is conducted with far more financial success ; the men employed are far better workers, for the advantage of private over Government employ attracts more reliable men, and those rejected by the former have to take refuge with the latter. Thus the policy tends to separate the good material from the indifferent, and this will to some extent work its own cure for the minority of energetic workers—if well organised and united—must in the long run secure the greatest influence. Whether the negative attitude taken up by the Premier will have much inSueuce iv correcting former mistakes remains to be seen; iv any case, the weak and trusting must suffer whenever the strong repudiate their impossible powers, if instead of depending entirely upon public works the Labour Bureau were to act as a kind of agency to supply farmers with reliable workers both classes might be benefited aud a ruinous and suicidal policy would be deprived of its worst sting.—Yours, &c,