TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9281, 5 December 1895, Page 6

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We cannot undertake to publish letters copies of which have been sent to any other journal. Correspondents desirint* insertion of their communications should therefore send us a statement that they have not been and will not be' forwarded to any other paper. THE SURPLUS LAEOUR MEETING. TO THS EDITOR OF TUX PRESS. giK ( I hope the men that form the Surplus Labour Association are satisfied with the result of their meeting. lam sure it mu3t be very gratifying to know how much the preseut Government has done for them according to the member for Riccarton, aud to have their meeting turned into a kind of electioneering debating society by well-paid agitators thaw have helped by their votes to pledge the credit of the colony to the extent of £5,000,000 to reliero the wealthy shareholders of a Bank. Now they say to these men, it is the Government that must settle this question. I would like to see some of those men ou £20 a month try and do a little thinking for themselves and their fellow men. They seem to think they have earned their money if they go to Wellington, and vote for some fad Labour Bill, or say a few words against it, as the case miy be. What we want now is some real live men, with some ideas of their own, to represent us in Parliament. I think the quilldrivers, blowhards, gas-bags, trucklers, faddists, carpet baggers and seltiah agitators have had their day. The time has come for good men to take their place, men that know what a day's work is and what it is worth ; men that can put something tangible before ua. Not higli-soundiug phrases that are all very well in their place, say for catching votes ; but something that will give employment. That is the great question ot the day both here and all over the world, and men that want to get into Parliament mast tackle it in a practical way, not by merely saying " Settle the people on the lauds of the colony." Why, it would be kinder to drown or hang them at once and put an end to their misery than put them on land without money to stock and work at. But I have no doubt that the men that helppd us to borrow such enormous sums last year, iv all, I believe, about £9,000,000 at least, we may look forward to the pleasure of paying it back, will be ablo to get aa much this year for the nuomployed. If the bye-election that we hear so much about takes place, I hope that the wat-h-word for us working men will be political death to humbugs.— Yours, &c, Work for All.