THE SURPLUS LABOUR QUESTION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9305, 4 January 1896, Page 5

THE SURPLUS LABOUR QUESTION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

Sir, — This unemployed question still holds forth in bold relief in the face of good crops, higher prioes, and the busy season on us, when there should not be a single man out of work, which shows there is some other cause besides tho extreme low prices of produce. The Minister for Labour, it reply to a deputation, would show nc prospect for these poor deluded men, except) to throw all responsibility on local authorities, who have,, had no share in causing this atato of things, and he hopes to bo able to slip them over to charitable aid, to degrade them as much as possible. But to give them a fair chance to live by opening up some of our natural industries on business principles, to compensate for the everincreasing borrowing, haß not yet dawned on our Labour Minister, as he has.no praotioal knowledge of the requirements of. labour, and to get this it is necessary to enter their lives, to. work and feel as they do, to understand their needs in life, and apply the customs and laws of the country. On lands, wages and labour, it iB no matter for speculation viewed .from the labourers' standpoint. Now, sir, I believe if the cause is removed, tho effect will ceaee, andl would direct attention to some of the causes of this difficulty. The main one, over-borrowing and spending lavishly on unproductive works, destroying confidence by taxation to pay interest on borrowed money, not utilising the railways to assist our natural resources on business principles, the bursting* up policy, and. harassing employers with Labour Bills (Sheffield case to wit). The Government boast of nearly 200 Bills introduced, half of which passed. From tho labourers' standpoint it would have been better to have repealed 100 and revised the anomalies in the other, half, so that the extra taxation to tho boots and the other necessaries of the poor may have been saved. On the face of all these Bills, sir, not one bit of consideration. has been given' to the poor labourer except to increase his taxation, and I see in the Press a few weeks since where the Government has prominently set before our eyes remunerative work for double tho number of surplus labour that has ever appeared in Now Zealand on a very remunerative basis, and which would last for at least five or six years (without borrowing), a Self-supporting natural industry, the whole of which could be exported, and this, Sir, is not by any means the only instance in which our natural industries are begging for assistance without any response ;. but I expect some Minister or his friond baa some vested interest which prevents the labourer being put on this track of self-support. Were it an outing to Uriwero; a Bandifficulty, some borrowing fete bo Change, promoting treaties, Asiatic ot Text Bill, it would be quickly seen, and an all-night sitting, or volumes of Hansard, or even a pamphlet to describe its desirableness would not be considered out of place to perpetuate Its memory. But, surplus labour, you will not be wanted till polling day, and then,if I am nob sceptical, you may get buttered over without charity being introduced for * few days.—Yours, &0., Edwin A. Loos.