ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 956, 13 May 1879, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

THE DEATH OF JAMES ROBINS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE OAMAJtU MAIL. Sir, —A man called James Robins, who has been fur some time employed as mustering shepherd on Station Peak, died very suddenly at W. Cairns' accommodation house, Waikouri, Waitaki. For some days before he died lie was at John Richmond's accommodation house, Omarania. He left Richmond's the day he died to come down by coach to Oamaru. When at Cairns' accommodation house he had a hearty meal and some drink, and when leaving to get into the coach he dropped down dead. The facts were communicated to Mr. Parker, the Coroner at Oamaru, but he did not think it necessary to hold an inquest, and the man is to be buried without the slightest inquiry being made as to the cause of death. The general impression is that it is not fair to the public that this affair should be passed over without inquiry. If Mr. Parker is unable to attend to his duty as Coroner, the sooner he makes the fact known to the Government the better.—l am, &c., Upper Waitaki. «> TO THE EDITOR OP THE OAMARU MAIL. Sir, —Through the medium of your valuable journal I beg to say that G. Paterson's letter to the Council, with regard to my cutting the reserve fence is untruthful. Whilst 011 this subject, I beg to ask if the terms of the lease of the reserves in Oamaru have been carried out with regard to having turn-stiles and fences erected at the ends of lanes, as shown on the map of the town, for the convenience of the public 1 I also wish to ask, did they lease the town belt road to be turned into a cattle paddock, for there are four 5-wire fences in about 30 or 40 chains of the said road at the south-west end of Eden-street. —Yours, &c., Samuel Lintern. - TO TUB EDITOR OF THE OAMARU MAIL. Sir—l am surprised to find it stated in to-day's telegrams that Mr. W. J. Steward, of Oamaru, applied to the Dunedin Acclimatisation Society for a stag or doe, to be hunted by harriers. Permit me to say that I never made any such application, nor was cognisant of its being made, and further, that, though I look upon hunting a fox as legitimate sport, I always looked upon the uncarting of a deer to be chased, and to be re-boxed-up again only to be made sport (?) of, is an unmanly and unsportsmanlike procedure—one which certainly I would never countenance. I hope your Dunedin contemporary, the Morning Herald, whose report appears to have given rise to this misuse of my name will, on seeing this, rectify the error.—l am, &c,, Wm. J. Steward. TO THE EDITOR OF THE OAMARU MAIL. Sir —Could you oblige me, a poor laboring man, a little space in your valuable paper to make a few remarks and offer some suggestions to my fellow-mates, now depression and hard times are beginning to be felt by us in common witli our employers, The employers say, perhaps justly so, they cannot give tiie regular rate of wages, or employ as many hands as they could previous to these dull times, on account of the tightness of the money market, general depression of trade, low price of grain, wool, &c., and consequently they are slackening hands in all kinds of labor, thereby causing a great many of us to be out of work. Now, Mr. Editor, I am like a great many more of my mates in town, a poor agricultural laborer out of work, and if J can't get some soon, shall be' out of money too. During harvest, I was working for a farmer; in fact, was with him until he had threshed all his grain, about a fortnight since, when we were paid off, including several of the old hands, the farmer remarking he could not afford to keep so many men, and saying wages must come down. Of ccurse, we laughed at the idea, and told him he would not get men to work under LI per week and found. Well, we came.into Oamaru, and , gqt Rur cheques cashed, and had a day or two's spree—sorne of lis more, and some less. Of course, you know what spreeing and knocking down cheques are, Mr. Editor, so I don't need to say anything about that at present. After having about a week's spreeing and loafing about town, and spending more money than I earned in a good many weeks, I rolled up my swag and started to look for work, making for statipns and large farrps where men would bp likely to get 3 wifitpr'g billet. After trayeljiijg a week, and walking many miles north and south, I was compelled to return to Oamaru footsore, downhearted, and disgusted, I cannot relate here all the incidents that befell me on my road. In some pkices I was treated kindly, in others worse" than a dog—refused tucker and shelter—squatters, farmers, and cockatoos alike all saying they were full handed and could not afford LI per week. At one or two places I was offered 15s a week and found, but would not take it, so back I came tp Qamaru, wherfi I found some of my mat.es very hard up, and with no work. I begin to think to myself some; thing must be done, so I count my money snd find I have only L 3 and a few shillings

left out of a cheque for over L3O. Now, I am not a hard drinker, Mr. Editor, but I like tny " nobbier" now and again. Well, thinks I, if I remain here in Oamaru, be as careful as I can, my money won't last above a fortnight, when I shall be poorer than I was the day I landed at Port Chalmers, six years ago, when I had a few pounds I managed to save out of the low wages—l2s per week—l used to earn in Yorkshire as a ploughman—which amount I thought to start farming with in New Zealand, but have not yet got a start. I have told several of my mates I was offered 15s a week, and that I had a mind to take it as better than nothing. Well, sir, for saving that they called me all sorts of names—l know you .would not publish what they said, so I shall not trouble you with it—and swore thej' would not work for less than LI per week and found. Well, thinks Ito myself, it is no good arguing the question with you, but I am afraid you will have to work for less, or starve before this winter is over. Now, Mr. Editor, I have argued the question in my mind this way —lf it is true what the farmers say, they cannot give LI per week and found- —and I really think some of them are hard up, they look miserable enough anyhow—wo must accept less, as we shall be outstanding in our own light to stick out for higher rates. I give my reasons as follow —I have heard some some fellows say they cannot stop in Oamaru under L 3 per week, others Ll. Well, suppose we say 30s as about the average, a man actually pays that to live. Well, suppose he gets work at only 15s per week and tucker, he receives 15s per week in cash, add 30s, what it costs him to live in town, makes L2 5s per week. I have ofteu heard an old saying, " A penny saved is a penny earned." I am no great scholar, Mr. Editor, but I fancy L2 5s per week saved would be much over LIOO per year; why, enough to buy a little farm. Now, lam not going to say how much better a man is in health, how much happier, contented, better in mind and bod}', when at work, than when out of employment, as every able bodied man, with all his faculties about him, would ten times rather be at work than loafing about the town, after he has had about three days of that sort of work. Now, Mr. Editor, there appears to me to be a great want of sympathy between us laborers and the farmer. There is no unity, no co-opera-tion. There appears to be a great breach between us, which is widening every day. Now, by my way of thinking, the farmer cannot do without us men more than we can do without the farmer. We are quite dependent on each other—one cannot live without the other. Of course, when a man has to sell his labor, he goes to the best market to sell, if possible, to the highest bidder; but when a purchaser cannot afford to give the price the seller asks, the farmer or purchaser remains without that labor which is necessary for him to successfully carry on his business, and the seller, or laborer, remains unemployed—a nuisance to himself and those around him. Every day a man is off work is so much lost indirectly to the Colony, and at the present time when so many men are out of employment the loss to the Colony must be enormous.

Now, Mr. Editor, I have tried to show in my humble way to my mates and fellow-laborers now in town and out of work, that by accepting 15s per week and found they will be saving L2 5s per week, more or less, be in better health, happier, and more contented ; that weeks' travelling has taught me a lesson I shall not soon forget. For the future I intend to work for as high wages as I can get, but no more to remain out of work as long as I can get employment even at 10s per week. Again, I urge my fellow-workmen to look the difficulty straight in the face. Work if work is to be got, even if it is at lower rates. Times will mend, and with them wages must advance. Let us act as men, and bear part of the burden. Let it not be chronicled against us by the historian that in New Zealand's direst commercial depression the laboring men, the bone and sinew of the land, struck for wages which the country could not afford to pay. But rather let us work hand in hand together, and eradicate by our future action the slur and contempt that were cast on our name a few weeks ago by the insane and scandalous action of a fow of our party, who demanded in a disgraceful and contemptible manner at the Waiuiate extortionate wages, and struck because they could not have their own way. Now, Mr. Editor, a few more words and I have finished. lam too proud to go and ask for work where I was offered 15s a week and refused it, so I leave Oamaru in the morning for the North a poorer and, I trust, a wiser man. Should any correspondence arise out of this letter, I am sorry to say I shall be many miles away, and therefore will not be able to make any reply. Knowing you are ever ready to support a good cause, I trust you will add your superior advice to my humble remarks.—l am, &c., A Laborer. Oamaru, May 12, 1879.