THE "CROS'" MANGAPAI CORRESPONDENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 901, 3 October 1866, Page 5

THE "CROS'" MANGAPAI CORRESPONDENT.

To the Editor of tlio JCew Zealasd Herald. Sih,--Will you kimlly allow mo a little spare in 'Our columns to enlighten the public ivspectin:; ome letters which have lately appeared in the Cros*, lurporting to coiae from a Manaapai correspondent, n one of the letters signed " Mentor" an attack was iade on John W. 'J'ayl° r . Esr l-> M.P.O. Now, sir, i- is well known that in the Mansapai district only hree saltier j voted agdnst Mr. Taylor, and people .'Oiild most naturnliy suppose that tlio letter in uestion proceeded f-om one of th-;m; but suih is tot the case ; the letter has been traced to a settler [vine* not one hundred miles from Graham n. In"the Cross of the 11th instant appeared another itter from a llancnpai correspon lent, winch 'etailed some cases tried before the Magistrates on he 4th instant, :tnd included an attack on the Rev. ohn Gorrie for coming as a Jnvoin- to lanwapai to perform a marrh?e ceremony, and not 3 r his fee, as is falsely so stated (ono farthing of rhich he did not take). It is well known that the >re-byteriau party at Wangarei are not a happy imily, and one of their number, noted for his oppoilion now makes an attack on his minister for his omin'" to Mangapai without bis consulting him on he subject. But to prove morn fully that the letter a question came from Wangarei, it is only necessary or me to stato, on the same • day, viz., 4th instant, hore was tried beforo tbo "Magistrates a case highly liscreditable to Wangarei, that is a contractor having irst to sue Sir O. Gibbs, Mr. Walton, and lastly heir secretary, Mr. Uolman, for the amount due to lira ten months for work duly performed ! This is he old story over again of the part of Hamlet left iu t by special request. It would not do for this use to become known, and therefore was suppressed, )ut fortunately the contractor, in the Wkekly leralij of the loth, has put the public in possession if the facts. I would, in conclusion, recommend the o called " correspondent" not to attempt Igain to mislead his whereabouts is now known.— fours, &c, Makcapai. Mangapai, Sept-. 17, 1836.

LETTERS TO WORKING MEN.

No. 0 STRIKES. —IK AN ECONOMICAL POINT OP VIEW. Pi^, —Tho idea is positively held by n majority of workmen, that Btrikes are beneficial in a money point of profit. I have no. .doubt but it will take years before this opinion can to generally eradicated; no doubt the public press and the writings of political economists of the present day will tend to dispel wron" notions, yet all these agencies have but little effect on the great mass of workmen, because of a peculiar dislike to study anything having a tendency to inform us on our financial affairs. As a proof, men will tell you while on strike, if asked about losing so much money,that they are going to get so much money weekly from their Union a3 long as the strike will last • and of course tliey say anil think too that the amount thus got is equal to present money, wheroas it is only their own, or if not, the savings of some unfortunates, taken from its legitimate ueo, and then wor«? than lost or thrown away only at best to support a spirit of retaliation; but supposing that ;trikee should bring a benefit, the ben;fits that they bring are subject to a frightful discount from the tremendous suffering and sicrifice through which they drag the workmen and their families, at the time. This ii a fearful subject, yet noi without a sort of lurid glori in the eyes of some; the self-devoiion of man} working people in this cause is something wonderful they have poured their hard-earned wages into the Union WiMSury withi 'a "prodigality that remindi US of tho profusion with which North anc S >uth have alike, supported the civil war in America They have returned to the charge again and again almost before the wreck and debris of former con flicts had been cleared away ; thvy have shown i measure of self-denial and enduranco i.i carryini ont their Btrike, that have • afforded tho clcares evidonce of the earnestness of thoir purposo am the of their faith ; the very disregard ii 1 which they have been accustomed to hold tho mor visible and immediate results has only shown tha they expected ultimate benefits from them, r great as to entitlo them to loolc back on thi baptism of blood not only without ehamo, but wit pride. "When workmen are out on strike they mm live, though they are earning no wages ; they mu< have food, clothing, fuel and shelter; to get thes i they must spend their previous savings, if they hav ! any, or they must jell their furniture, or- what _ ! often worse they must run into debt, and so have i the end to pay for credit, in addition to the price ( the articles they consume. Besides exposing then selves to these sore privations, ■workmen who £

out on Rtriko bring similar hardships on other workmen who though opposed to the strike, arc also thrown out of work by it. Kvory largo work gives emploj'ment. not only to a number of skilled artisans, but also a number of labourers, carters, and others, and whenever the former leave oft' working, the latter, however unwilling, must also go idle. The shopkeepers too, and other tradesmen with whom the Btrikors have been in the habit of dealing, must suttor lons by the fulling oir in demand for their goods, ami tho baa debts \vhi.;h aviso from the poverty of their customers. And the masters also suftor, fjr when no work is done there can, of course be 110 profit to the master, and no interest on the capital ho hasjn vested . in his business. In proof of what I have assorted, I shall refer to two of the most powerful strikes for wages on record ; there is not space in a newspaper to £0 into detail, but I am quit" willing to give nil information to any person who may ask mo. In the yoars 183G-7, the first -took placo at Proston, in Lancashire ; 660 cotton spinners struck w.,rk, theroby throwing out of employment 7b 10 assistants, or others connected with the factories, making tho total out of work SSOO persons. Threo months from the flay on which tho mills wore closed work was resumed, tho masters having gained their own ti.rms, bur, tho loss to the town and trade of Preston in this unavailing struggle was about £107,000. Tho strike of the Glasgow cotton spinners in tho summer of 1537, lasted seventeen weeks and flvo days, 700 spmnors struck work, and so throwing out of employment, 4,200 assistants, making tho whole number idle -1,900. _ After a desperato struggle, the spinners entirely tailed, .with a lo. ; s tho operatives themselves, hy wages, of .£17,000, independent of tho loss of the masters, merchant 3, tradesmen, storekeepers, and others. Xtie engine-rs' strike in 1552, and the great strikes in tho bui.dirig trado in the years 1858-81, are yet so fresh in tho public mind tiiat weneod not say anything about them. Itis not alone in tho loss of money that strikes are always prejudicial to our interests. An irreparable injury maybe inflicted on a trade by its own strikes ; in 1831 the tailors of Loudon, to the number of 13,000 men, struck for an advance of wages, and after remaining idle for situe months, during which there was a sacrifico of £100,000 of wag.-s, the result was the. importation of a larco number of German and other foreign tailors, and also tlie introduction ol woman as sowers ot slopwork into the trado, by whieH prof.no supply of hands, wades were permanently depieeiate.l and the trade considerably altered in character. At one lima Dublin had some of the mo-t extensive ship-building yards in the United Ivingdom ; but after a few years of uninterruoLol pr lsperity the wirka-ten through some peculiar idiosyncrasy, commenced a system ol strikes and intimidations, t.ho system of which partly zed the energies of the capitalists, that, in despair they left the plate, and at onee put a stop to the labour of hundreds ot operatives, along with the circulation of that capital, which only successful <hip-building yards can give. I think I have said jnough on the economical view of strikes, without any opinion about them. Any workiii; lan iv ho carefully reads and thiuks over these stater 's, ivhich are not exaggerated, an eisily ar : v ' ..10 "ight conclusion. My next shall be, " Sfri -in a Moral point of view." —I am, yours respeeu. r, -T AM HS 130,.LL. Bath-street. Parnell.

WAIUKU. J

To tlio Editor of tho Kew Zkalaxd llv.tia.xti. Put, —Last week you us a report of tho first trip of the steamer c Halcyon* lV>m ;o Waiuku. Steam, we all know, is the improver ot commerce and the advaucer of wealth. Imn happy to say that in other matters Waiuku is not behind its >ister settlements. We have here, I perceive, an agricultural and also a literary society. In connection with tho latter Mr. of Waiuku javo ail interesting lecture, last Monday evening, ipoa tho " Four Georges." The lecturer appear:-d :o be well up on the subject, and by interspersing lis remarks with amusing anecdotes relative to men ind manners of the limes, made Ol what midlife othervise have been .1 dry subject a lecture both interestng nud instructive. Major Speedy, K. M. ( was in ,he chair, and thore were some fifty persons present, vhich, considering the unfavourable weather, was a rood audience. I should like to bee the example oi (Vaiuku followed more generally in our outlying listricts ; lectures and meetings of this kind tending nueh "to improve the nvir&l ta<te and social feeling hat should exist iu our settlements. —Yours, &0., A. YISITOK. To.the Editor of tho New-Zkaland Herald. Sin, —By your nummary of yesterday I perceive hat the handsome sum of £73 10$. (id. sterling was ealizud by the concert given on ISl.li of last month n aid of at. Stephen's Orphan Koine. An I, being omewhat interested in the elForti lately mado owards raising funds for that charitable institution, ! should be glad to learn from you (if you are iosses?ed of tho information) what amount was ealized bv the gratuitous performance ot the o.IH 'ers i tho Garrison whieh took place on 4th September, a aid of tho same institution. —Yours, &c., CUAEITY. 2nd October, IStfG.