THE LABOUR BUREAU.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1057, 2 June 1892, Page 31

THE LABOUR BUREAU.

We cannot compliment the Press Association upon invariable accuracy in its telegrams about the doings of the Labour Bureau. The Department of Labour is engaged in what many people—not all of whom are on one side in politics—consider a useful and laudable public undertaking. It does not, however, receive much encouragement or assistance from some of the publications of the Press Association. This powerful news organisation seems disposed at times to give an entire and hasty belief to the first story heard about failure on the Bureau’s part and suffering among the unemployed. Instead of hurrying to disseminate lively messages on this subject, we would suggest to the Press Association that it should show a little greater disposition to test the accuracy of statements made and a little less proneness to the rather hurried circulation of spicy paragraphs. A few days ago, for instance, the following fine specimen of inaccuracy was sent on its travels through New Zealand : Napier, May 19. The other day it was reported to the Labour Bureau that contractors of Wairoa required 20 men. I'lie police selected thoroughly suitable mea and shipped them there. Some have returned. They report that only three were taken on. Those who had money enough took deck passages back, but the majority had no money, anti are now tramping back overland. Now, what are the facts of the case ? They are these, if we can trust the officers of the Labour Bureau, as we think we may. The Agent of tlie Labour Bureau at Wairoa reported that about twenty men could find employment there at bush-felling and road-work. About this time Mr S*an, M.H.R., enquired from Napier whether any of the unemployed could get employment on the co-operative railway works. He was answered in the negative, but was referred to the work reported to be offering at Wairoa.' He again wired to an officer of the Bureau to know whether passages to Wair a would be granted to men, and was replied to in the affirmative. Then Mr Maclcay, of the Bureau, who happened to be passing through Napier, met Mr Swan, to discuss the matter, and was shown a list of from thirty to forty names. Knowing nothing himself of the men on the list, Mr Mack ay very sensibly suggested to Mr Swan that he and the Napier Labour Agent should select the more suitable men. This they did, and despatched sixteen to Wairoa. On arriving at that place some difficulty was experienced in getting work. Three men went back on a steamer to Napier, but the other thirteen got employment and went to work.

Within the last few clays comes another sensational story ; this time from Gisborne. It is a tale of hardship, starvation, and neglect. A batch of penniless men are described as being plumped clown by tlie Labour Bureau on the shores of Poverty Bay—strangers in a strange land. For a day they go without food, until they find their way to a sergeant of police who humanely enables them to keep body and soul together until they can set out into the country in search of work. Eight then get work, but ten more tramp the country until they return to Gisborne on Tuesday night, “ hungry and worn out.” Now, we do nob suggest that this narrative is pure fiction. Far from it. No doubt there was a little difficulty and delay in getting more than a score of strange men to work in a country like Poverty Bay, where distances are great, roads are bad, and tilings move slowly. But the broad facts of the case are that these men, who had been warned, that they

would require a few shillings and a little patience to start with, were landed in Gisborne on Friday, and by Wednesday had evei’y one obtained work. Most of them were able to tackle rough jobs in the country. One or two who were not took lighter garden work in Gisborne. So far from being starved in the meantime the men wero supplied with excellent food by the local agent of the Labour Bureau, who is none other than the humane sergeant of police referred to in the Press message. So much for the startling story of suffering and of official blundering. Concerning this let us, in fine, respectfully suggest to the Press Association that it should make a rule to give the efforts and experiments of the Labour Bureau at least a few days trial before describing them in terms such as to lead the public to fancy them arrant failures when they are nothing of the sort.