THE UNEMPLOYED. DEPUTATION TO HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4198, 27 January 1871, Page 3

THE UNEMPLOYED. DEPUTATION TO HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT.

A DEruTATiON.consisting of Messrs. Wetton, Russoll, and another (being respectively president, vice-president, and secretary of the Workiug-rnen's Protection Society), ■waited uponhis Honor the Superintendent at 11 o'clock yesterday morning, with the object of receiving the subscription promised by his Honor towards the funds to be collected for the relief of the destitute. Mr. Hurst, | one of the Executive, was present w ith the ' Superintendent; and the deputation were introduced. t His Honor first asked concerning the i Society. Mr. Wetton said the Working - men's Society was started some time previous t© this present agiiation on behalf of the unemployed. One of their rules was to the effect that mombers should assist each other to their utmost ability, and, consequently, they (the Society) got mixed up with the un employed. Other objects they had in view •were to put a stop to the several evils which pulled down the working-man ; to stop contractors paying their men in public houses, &c. In fact, tha rules of the Society were for the mutual benefit of one another. In reply to his Honor, Mr. Wetton said he was appointed president of the Society at a public meetiug. His Honor : And you are one of those •who distribute the money ? Mr. Wetton : Yes. His Honor : Are you unemployed ? Mr. Wetton : I am at present. His Honor : Why did you leave your employ men ? Mr. Wetton : I came here to represent the destitute. His Honor : Were you employed on that occasion ? Mr. Wetton : I was not then. His Honor : I think you were at one time lighthouse-keeper at Tararu? Mr. WhFTON : I was. His Honor ; fiosr came you to lose your situation 1 Mr. Wetton : By Mr. Graham taking the whaif over. His Honor: Perhaps, Mr. Wetton, you can recollect that it was for some other reason ? Mr. Wetton : That is the only reason. But we are getting wide of the mai k. His Honor : 1 must know into whose hands the money is going, and that it will be used for the purpose for which it is given. You can remember getting an order from the Harbourmaster for oil for the lighthouse ? Mr. Weiton : I have nothing to do with that business at present ; that's not what I came here for. His Honor : But I am on that business. Mr. Wetton : The deputation intend to go to the various merchants of Auckland. We have several promises ; and we now wait upon your Honor to receive a subscription according to a promi&e you made. His Ho>OR : Exactly so. I "will contribute when I can see the proper persons iv whom I can trust. You lemember gefting an order on the 25th July fioni the Haibourmaster for five gallons of oil ; and an application was made by you to E. Poiter and Co. to have it exchanged for othe' 1 goods ? Mr. Wetton : I know nothing about it. Here we are waiting His Honor : You were dismissed on the 30th July iv consequence ? Air. Wetton : No ; it was because of the removal of the wharf. His Honou : Excuse me. You were dismissed for nothing of the soi t, but as I have stated. Mr. Wetton : I know nothing about it, your Honor. It is all a fabrication. His Honor : I distinctly recollect you stating to Mr. Mitchell the other day that you had not had your breakfast that morning. It is desirable, in contributing any money, it should be confided to such hands as would distribute it to those who really need it It is yery necessary under the circunifrbancea\o'inquire who seess Yd '"HsaWife the\iwntty. » Mr. Wetton ; I have no interest whatever except as president of the Working-men's Society. lam not treasurer. I have nothing to do with the handling of the cash. Mr. Hurst : I think this man was actually in employment ; aud the foreman i 3 ready to state that he was at his work that morning, but that, in consequence of his wanting to go to the meeting of the unemployed, he left. His Honor : I am sure I would very glad to encourage working-men's protection societies, to secure their rights and privileges, and do away with the abuses complained of ; but I can tell you at once f can have no confidence in a society of that sort, if presided over by such men as you appear to be, Mr. WETTOrf ;"Soh w'ift have fco prove &a"c, your Honor. But we have nothing to do •with that at present. Mr. Allright, Inspector of Works, here entered to prove his Honor s statement that Wetton had left work because he wanted to go to the meeting of the unemployed. Mr. Wktton : I don't see that the answers to these questions affect me at all. His Honor (addressing the others of the deputation) : They are asked iv order to explain to the working-men how the matter stands. There are other modes of providing for the destitute ; and to the funds of the Society I shall be very glad to give a subscription [The Rules were handed in, and perused by his Honor.] To many of these rules I cordially agree ; but to a tempt to pub pressure upon other workmen or upon employers, to prevent them working longer than eight hours, is simply absurd. There are many men who can make that system work well enough ; htxt many a raau would find it neceßSary to work move than eight hours for the sake of his family ; another might wish to do so in his ambition to become himself a proprietor. I believe in the eight-hour syatem, but not in its being forced upon the working-man. Mr. Wetton : The working-men themselves don't desire any longer hours. His Honor : Then again, it is impossible for any society or club to regulate wage 3 ; if the employer can't pay it, there is simply no work. I have always adhered to the eight-hour system myself ; but to attempt to enforce it— it is what you can't do ; it is simply to "pour water up a hill." Mr. Wetton then spoke of the heavy taxes the working-man had to pay, and under which they were groaning. His Honor : That's nothing to do with me. Mr. Wetton (excited) *• There is a reform at hand however. Mr. HURST : That is beside the question. You came 'here the other day representing yourself distinctly as not having had your breakfast that morning. Mr. Wetton : I spoke the voice of the % nob my own voice. His Honor would not of course allow 200 of ftiem bo come in. I can take his Honor now to Newton, where many people have not a sixpence in their bands to pay their way, and a baker's bill as long as my arm staring v them in the face. Mr. Hurst : Ydu left work that morning Mr. Wetton". Should I have abandoned the poor men ? They would say, " Where is the leader?" and the' answer would be, " Ob, ke is stfc -work vS> ifoTt Butom&rt." His Honor : Probably you will go back to them and inform them taat you were made a lighthouse-keeper, after having put in a statement that you were ma' c of a vessel, and held such-and-such a position. Mr. Wetton : I had the honour to be so for 18 months. His Honor : Inquiries were made on the subject, and there is good proof of what I have already stated, tyr. Wetton : I repeat, I know nothing about it. His Honor : To the Working-men's Association I say that the attempting to enforce eight hours' work will be futile • and, with that exception, I very cordially approve of thfcobjeots here stated ; aud I will give a subscription on this distinct understanding. JtwiMtq^e^wrlOag-wawc wtfc

ing to put down the evils of which they complain ; but relief to the destitute will have to be distributed, by other societies. Yours has not the machinery to examine into the professions made of destitution and so on. Any representations of destitution made by them to the Relieving Officer will be attended to. I here tender you a subscription, Mr. Wetton : We decline to take it, your Honor, unless in accordance with the rules of the Soc ety. His Honor : Of course, if you decline it, I can say nothing more ; to you other gentlemen I say that I am quite prepared to fulfil my promise. Mr. Russell (one of blio members of the deputation) said he felt very much obliged to hia Honor personally ; but didn't quite see how they could accept such a subscription on such an understanding, Documents in reference to Mr. Wetton's discharge from the post of lighthouse-keeper were handed in by Mr. Hurst, who said they werp dated July, 1870, and were not fabricated, but real documents. Air. Wjitton asked how it was they were only now produced. His Honor : I was not aware of it myself until my attention was called to it. | Mr. Wi/rroN : I received a letter to the efl'ect that I should deliver up the lighthouse, '• as ifc was intended to give it up to Mr. Graham ; aud, ou making recent application, ' I received auswer, signed by Mr. Lusk : "I \ have to inform you that your application has beeu tiled in tins office " Not a word was said of what you complain. I His Ho M ou :A. similar auswer is given to ! every person who applies ; it is only formal. ; Mr. Weiton : It seemed to me as a sort ' of a bribe, as I received ifc since- the formation of the Society. His Honor (to the other gentlemen) : Well, I am quite prepared to give you a subscription towards the funds of the Society ; but I don't think I am right to entrust it to the hands of gentlemen who have been iv this position. Mr. JSubSBLL: I feel thankful to your Honor personally His Hoivora ; 'heieare oilier documents of a similar nature. Mr fiuKM' : Mr. Lusk was only recently in office ; lie had nothing to do with the things represented. His IJoxou : It is the very persons who recommend him— Captains Boot and Burgess — who make the charges. Mr. Wcii'ON' lntei posed : I have no doubt before a public meeting a full explanation will be given. Mr. Hi r Kfc>r : I here hold in my hand a memorandum fiom the Foreman of Works to the following effect : "Mr. Wetton was employed on fcho woiks at ss. per clay from the 3lst October, 1870, to the 19th January, 1871," — the very day he left and became " unemployed !" Mr. Weitox : Exactly so, sir. Mr. Huß.sr : You are a person who have no right to make the representation you then made. You wete employed that very morning. (To Mr. Kushcll:) You understaud the case, Mr. Russell, I think. That person came representing himself to be one of the . unemployed ; yet that very person was employed Oi the public works His excuse was that he left work to be with the unemployed. It is a gicat pity that the walking men should place themselves in a. vciy f.ilsc position. (To l>is Honor :) I think we have had enough of this, your Honor. His Honoii (to Mr. llussell) again made lcfeience to the rules. Mr. Itu^SBLL thought the difficulty could be done uw.iy with at a meeting of the Society. He certainly felt thankful to his Honor for his urbanity and the kmdly expiessions of sympathy with the objects they had m view. His Honor : If your Soniety will furnish me with a list of people who are destitute, I will cause inquiries to be made, so that their cases mly be dealt with by the Relieving Officer at once. Mr. Weti'OX here remarked that one of the objects of the Societyfcwould go far to relieve the Relieving Officer. Many men could not bvook tlie impertinent questions put by iaace. His Hon on answered that the Relieving Officer w.is of the very cbss of working-men himself, and knew how to sympathise with them. He did not ere lit the statements made ; it was absolutely necessary to guard against deception. The Iteheving Officer's conduct had given every satisfaction, aud strong evidence was shown of his taking the greatest tiouble to relieve distress. Mr. Wkjtov said he was t-orry to see that a statement w.i 3 made in the papers to the efi'ect,, that that officer would affotd relicT to no one except teetotallers. He didn't recol- ' lect having s.ud so, as he himself was a teetotaller. His Honor remarked that from Mr. Wetton's conduct, and hasty expiessions, he could believe him capable of saying almost anyfiimg. Ifc was mo Sa-aYt, dS *civ& ■psj.sss^ Sot others present heard the same language made use of. The subscription list was then handed to Mr. Russell and the other member of the deputation, who thanked his Honor for heading it so liberally, and retired.