ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE A COMPLAINT. TO THE EDITOR.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8085, 25 September 1894, Page 1

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE A COMPLAINT. TO THE EDITOR.

Silt, — I crave from you space in the columns of your valuable paper to bring boforo tho notico of tho public what I torm a glaring injustice. Before doing so permit me to make a few remarks. I am not ono of those always ready to champion tho causo of those who have imaginary wrongs, but when an injustice such as tho ono 1 am goiug to relate occurrs I am there, especially when labor is aQ'octod, and more especially local labor. Sir, winter is past, and spring is with us, yet tho dark cloud of financial depression that has boon hanging over us shows j no sign of clearing. All feel it, bub none more so than those who havo to depend on their daily earnings for a maintenance, and especially those of this class with familios dependent on them. Thero is no doubt that the withdrawal of private capital — and capital is bound to withdraw if not fairly remunerated — I say tho withdrawal of private capital this year has thrown hundreds of men out of employment, thereby augmenting tho distress so prevalent in an already overcrowdod labor markot, and had it not boon for tho timely assistance tho Government gavo thoro would bo a sorry tale to toll to-day, but there are yob a number of men in this town who have not yet participated in any of tho work provided by tho Government this year, did thoy got the chance of doing so, bub when a local work is started, and more especially a Government work, one would expect that those Oamaru men who havo been idle for tho last live months, and I know 25 of them all having familios deponding on them, ] say it would be expected thoy would got the preference ; but, alas ! that's not so, l (1 or instance, a ballaso train is started to do work on the permanent way in this locality. Seventeen men aro required as a ballast gang. Seven Oannru men are taken on, and the other ten are taken from a locality 80 miles south. Now, while 1 admit that tho distress down south is as keen as it is here, and perhaps more so, notwithstanding this tact, wo must adhere to the old adage "charity commences at homo." I ask is this not an injustice to tho retail business men of Oamaru, as well as to the men themselves. Where, I ask, aro those men likely to obtain the necessaries of life for themsolves and their families ? Whore bub in Oamaru, and if they havo not tho money it must bo credit. 1 know a good many of these men who in years gone by stood the brunt and heat of the Government ballast pit for tho small pay of 0s Gd per day, when you c »uld not go astray in getting private employment at 8s per day, and now when tho (5s Gd would bo a God-send to these men, the compensation thoy got for past services is the cold shoulder ; and, mark you, sir, hins had to be erected in tho Oamaru Railway yard for tho strangers, whilo tho Oamaru men havo to pay rent for tho houses thoy live in, and if nob renb taxes, which is much tho same. Sir, I am 31 y»'s,» i \n Ncy tfyahnd, and nil that tm>o have been associated with labor. I have beon over tho principal parts of tho colony, and 1 have no hesitation in saying that tho Oamaru men aro a-5 fine a .stamp and as good a class of working mon as you would find if you wore to tramp from Auckland to tho Bluff No officer can oiler as an excuso for this extreme treatment that tho Oamaru mon aro nob capable of doing their work, for I know bettor, and so do tho officers ; that is, if thoy pub aside their potty prejudice, and lob fair play and no favor como to the front. Some will blame tho Commissioners for this act of injustice, but 1 say tho Commissioners know nothing about it. Thoy leave minor matters of this sort to those under thorn, and thoso under them committed tho duty to those under them, and bo on. Now, sir, I do not intend to trespass much further on your valuable space, but 1 must siy that since the Commissioners took office favoritism and a little do-pot-ism havo been in practico on the permanonb way. I have seen the time on the permanent way here, when mon were wanted, thoy had only to go to the Inspector's oflico, no matter what nationality. First como first served, but with a change of officers u change also m this good maxim. It is now the mon of tho right color (I do nob moan politically) first, outsiders aftorwaids, Now, ono instance more, and I am done, <-ir, when tho Atkinson Government reduced tho public expenses by reducing the number of employees and reducing tho pay of others, thoy did so to tho tune of two hundred and thirty-one thousand pounds. At this time, thero was a motion moved by a member of the house, that the public expenditure bo further reduced by L 1.00,000. Tho majority of tho Hou&o rejected this motion, for they saw that it was aiming at the wages of tho laboring men in tho Government employ. A fixod scale of wages was then laid down for this class of workers, and tho Commibsionora wore pledged not to interoforo with it. Tho bcalo was ; Permanent hands, (h Gd per day ; cisual labor, 7a per day. Now, havo the temporary ballast gangs in this district ever gob the 7« per day. No They have not, nob even the Gs Gd Fur ovory hour that these mon loso through the inclemency of tho weather, it h docked oil' them, while the pernunout hands goo their Gs Gd wot or dry. Now, did those causal laborers evor ask for their full rights? No, thoy never did, and tho reahon for this is, they weroalways afraid if they did ask for it, thoy would bo told to tako their shovels homo ; and because the men had not tho pluck to ask, tho officials wore uujusb enough not to give. Oh, is it nob pitiable to boo able-bodied men afraid to ask tor their rights, cringing to a bib of an official, dragging their manhood through the gutter? I Jn ounohislau, I ask, is it any wonder tho laboring men are rejoiced at tho expected chaugo in tho management of tho railways. Thero is one clause in tho new railway Bill which gives me great pleasure. I mean tho clause relating tv employees' holidays. It puts Jack on tho same footing as his mister. There it> another clause I would like to have .soon inserted. Ib is this : Thas all inspectors of permanent' ways, and all gangers, bo. shitted every three yea.^— dangers »?t losa than 80 miles from the scene of their last labors. This would have a purifying effect. As it i-i now, inspectors and gangers gob together for a number of years. They begotne an amalgamated tamlly — a terror to thoso under them — especially the men of tho wrong color. Sir, if anyone abks for my name, and gives you a sufficient reason, you are at libery to give it. Until then, I sh.aU always romuiu, Justicr.

IThe highest mountoim in tho Woatom Continent ia Mount Soratq, in Bolivia— or abowt feu? miissi