THE WORKERS' RIGHT.

Evening Post, Volume XLVII, Issue 83, 9 April 1894, Page 4

THE WORKERS' RIGHT.

TO THI XDITOIt. Sir— Now that the '• Woman boom " ia ivor, and the " male lady" has got her little •ny, perhaps you could find room for a few omirkf) about the kauri gum industry and ilionr ttpucrntty. 'i he kauri gum industry uh found employment for a considerable nimber of " Uritisherß " for yenra past at a ■'air wago, but some enterprising middlemen .f this district considered they were not ,'otting rich quiok enough, so (it is reported here) thoy advertised in several Continental newspapers forgumdiggers, the consequence being that the gumfields are swarmed with ■Viißtrianß and other foreigners, not to mention the" thousands from Australia. As a result, gum that was selling for 52b per cwt. some time ago is now selling for 32a. That means tucker for some and less than tucker for otbern, myßelf included amongst the latter. This is the result of what is oalled private enterprise. I notice yonr Tradeß and Labonr Council found it necoasary to notify the workers of Australia about the flooded Btate of yonr labour market. Does it follow from all this that tho Australian colonies or the nations of Kurope are over-populated ? I say certainly not. It means that by New Zealand taking thoir unemployed— to our detrimont — it enablos them to perpetuate bad government in those countries and colonies. In my opinion — if a poor man has any right to hold opinions— it is tho duty of those men to stop at homo and insist upon such an economic change being made in tho Governments of those countries and colonies as will enable thorn to live in comfort at home ; besides. I do not see any necessity for filling this country up with people all of a sudden. There are over 60,000,000 poople in the United States of America, and nearly 40,000,000 in tho United Kingdom, and what aro tho workers bettor off ? Millions of them begging. Tho question is not how many people Tiave we got in the country, but what is the degree of prosperity amongst the working olassps— tho woalth-produoers in particular. As a remedy for this state of things— i.e., flooding the labour market— l would suggest that a " worker's right" be issued to every man at present in this country, and that any man in possession of suoh right shall have preference to all others ; that all men coming into the colony shall not receive said right until they aro in the colony 12 months, or such other time as Parliament ill its wisdom may deem lit. The factory owner has been protected in noarly all countries. Why not protect the worker also, aa you cannot benefit him until then. This would not interfere with men taking up land and going into business. '1 ho elector's right might be issued on the swne lines. I have mentioned this matter to the Gumdiggers' Exooutivo'somo time ago at Dargaville. This protecting the home labonr market seems to me a most important question, as no Government can permanently benefit the workers until it is seen to. Do the Government intend to grant old ago ponsioos to all comers ? Ihe Premier says that the people should not study social questions, but trust their leaders, meaning himself, I suppose He does not like " dirty drunken voters " meddling in these matters. Let ua soe what the great John Bright said on this matter :— "The Great Problem— What is that a man cannot do it he trios ? The other day he desoonded to the mysterious depths of the ooean, and with an iron hand sought and fqund and grasped and brought up to the surface the lost cablo, and with it made two worlds into one. I ask, are his conquests to be confined to the realms of science ? Is it possible that smother hand, not of iron, but of Christian kindness and justice, may not bo let down to moral depths evon deeper than tho cable fathoms, to raise up the sons and daughters of misery, and the multitudes who are ready to perish. This is tho great problem which is now before us. It iB one which is not for statesmen only, nor for preachers of the goßpel only, it is one which every man in the nation should attempt to j-olve " I am, &0., T. Judge. Dargaville, 24th March, 1894. P.S.— lt is reported he>e that a ring of London and Anokland merchants control the gum markot.Private enterprise again. — T. J.