THE UNEMPLOYED.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5438, 19 July 1879, Page 2

THE UNEMPLOYED.

Wheit the agitation by the unemployed in the South Island for Government aid commenced, wo expressed an emphatic opinion that the pitiful wail of helplessness did not come so much from genuine laboring-men, anxious for work but unable to obtain it, as from a few demagogic loafers, who never did a fair day's work for a fair day's pay in their lives. Events have proved the truth of our opinion. At Ashburton about fifty men applied to the local bodies for employment. The Road Board offered work, at Ss per day, but to a man the "unemployed" refused to work for less than 9s. A few days afterwards some of them accepted the lower rate of pay. Next we learn that the laborers employed on a railway contract in Canterbury had struck for 10s a day, their wages then being 9s. A paragraph to precisely the samo effect was telegraphed this week nl><mt tin; won employed on railway vorit iv the Wellington province. In O;a»;o . i'Ji- men £a,vo in their names as tit iliiutc. ;i.ml all v. r ero supplied with free rtuhv:iy pa.-s.s<":.s u"> -take tliuiii to work provided i'or thorn by the Government, but only -io turned xiy. fr}i.-\ r eral sold their passes and spent the proceeds in drink, and ovem of those who went a number have returned because the Government wanted to pay them by piece-work. The correspondent of the JLyttelton Times, who

went among the unemployed, gave a shocking picture. of their laziness and indifferent iiiorality. Contractors, in tendering for public works, still leave a large margin to cover losses by strikes ; farmers still find it difficult to pbtain good handiS at fAir wagesj £$ A Vie'eitwiwi cdnstanfc Wort being ' last week refused Oy several farm-laborers in Canterbury. We dd not -deny th#,t trade is dull and depressed, and that there are ndt, ,sdme unemployed nVeii wiliiilg to work if they cduld find employers, but such cases are comparatively few, and form only a small proportion of those who assembled in crowds and listened to inflammatory harangues by orators of their own kidney at Christchurch and Dune. din; While men could hardly, lie dbtoine'd tin Jiny tornii e'rupldycr's' Wore literally fdrced to Qinploy these loafers at wages ridiculously high when cdnijjared.w^th the' wcirk done, bui ridw tlidfc money is less plentiful they find it possible to do without such indifferent workmen, and accordingly discharge thorn. Where men really show that they are willing to give 1 eight hoiirs' good horiost iabdr f'dr A ijhilling ali hdur tMy deserve aid, and, as a rule, taye not found it very difficult td db'tAinj 4 th'diigh they iiiay haydl'edtl But dl employment ior a few days of a week ; but it would bo , folly for pithor Ministers dr local bodies td, yield td , exorbitant demands m&dc By loaders' and ne er-do-weels. We want workers in the colony, and if the hard times oaiise a few of .the lazy kind to seek fr'esji fields b'f laziness 1 ,^o shall Be so milch the better for their absence.