ADDRESS BY- THE HON. MR SHEEHAN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5267, 6 January 1879, Page 3

ADDRESS BY- THE HON. MR SHEEHAN.

[Per Press Association Special Wire.]

Auckland, January 4th.

The Hon. the Native Minister addressed the members of the Working Men's Club last night. There was a large attendance.

The Hon. Mr Sheehan said the Club was opened in March, 1878, and there were already 415 members on the r011—347 ordinary members, 20 honorary members, and 40 visiting members, with every prospect of increasing their numbers. A good many members were in arrears, and that was a state of things which members themselves should not allow to continue. If they were to hope to be successful in making the Club a source of usefulness, and of doing all the good they expected from it, they should be prompt in their payments. Ho asked them to avoid three things —(1) religion, (2) politics, (3) patronage. He spoke of religion with all respect, but, at the same time, experience testified ia many ways that religious controversy in such places caused all sorts of mischief. Such controversy had broken up many an association of the kind before. Politics were even worse than religion, and as to patronage, they should never desire to be patted on the back, and should not go about looking for the help of big names. They should be true to themselves. There were working men, and there were persons who called themselves working men, but had no claim to be regarded in-that light, He remembered meeting one of this sort on the Wellington wharf lately. He came up to him with much confidence and said, "Mr Sheehan, I knew your father and your mother; I knew ,'you when you were a little boy : I want a Government billet."— (Laughter.) That was not what a working man should be in need of. His reply was that there was no good billet for him. " Well, then," said the man, " give me a passage to Auckland in the Hinemoa." "No!" "Then, lend me L 5." "No"—(laughter.) " Then, give me Bixpence to get a drink." That was not the sort of person to be called a working man. There had been growing up in other places a bitter struggle between labour and capital. He did not think that the tactics of either side were judicious. He did not say that either side waa right, although it was easy to show that both were wrong in the means they adopted to settle the difference. It too frequently happened that the means for conciliation were overlooked, and sometimes opportunities were lost or evaded through prejudice or neglect. He advised every man to insure his life. A man should endeavour to spare his memory the reproach of having left his children dependent upon the charity of others. He would warn working men against making it an object ot ambition to get their sons into Government offices. He would say to working men, " Give your son a trade." You may desire for him more extensive culture and acquisition of greater knowledge, but be careful to give him a trade first; teach him independence. Every man should rely on hia own energy. There waa a profession growing up to great influence in the Colonies—namely,thatoftheengineer. Whether ri*<yi>.rr\pr\ up n. inßnliajiiqiil flncinp.r-i; nr n. pjyil engineer, he believed this profession would have the highest influence, because they would contribute most effectually to the development of these colonies. It was sometimes said that in this part of the Colony we have not advantages possessed by the- South, He had travelled through the whole of the Colony, and seen all that was to be seen, and could say, without hesitation, that this portion had resources which were not possessed by any other, and these resources could only be utilised by energy. He had been much censured because he ventured upon a statement that there was less public spirit, more apathy, and less enterprise in tbe North than was exhibited In the South. He was told by some that he was running down the place, and more wa% said to the same effect ; but he had good opportunities for observation, and his experience went to show that in the South there were a greater number of men who en tered upon undertakings of magnitude with a view to profit, no doubt, but also with a view to perfect that part of the Colony in which they live; men who embarked their capital in commercial enterprises with a large and far-seeing desire to promote the public welfare. The inference which he derived from his observation was that the commerce of the place might be extended, the prosperity of the people increased, and the purposes of commercial enterprise be fulfilled to a greater extent than was at present the case in Auckland. He referred to the question relating to what were called in America "Heathen Chinee," and the admission of Chinese labourers. They had all read of an attack upon two Chinamen in Wellington, He was Bure all would agree that the question likely to arise would not be settled in that way. Any action of that kind would rather delay the settlement of the matter. It would have an effect prejudicial to th 6 workmen themselves. If workmen would not behave fairly in this matter, the chanceß were that public opinion would go against them, and they would defeat their own object. No good could ever come from assaulting innocent people. It was to be hoped that working men would manifest a proper spirit in thiß matter. They mußt not adopt the waya of roughs upon such a subject; if they did bo, public sympathy might go to Chinamen, for "fair play" was a word in which Englishmen of all classes placed confidence. The time would certainly come when those in office would be aßked to deal with this Chinese question; it was even possible that the present Government would have to take Borneaction in regard to it. He would not say what that action might be, for he could not affect to know the mind of the Government respecting a contingency of that kind. He personally had .no affection for Chinamen. This country was too good for any part of it, upon which Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, or other Europeans could settle, to be delivered up to the Chinese invasion, and was not too large for all our own people who were likely to come to it. Chinamen did not come to settle, but to make money by selfa.'i orifice, which some people would do well to imitate, but what they_ made they saved, aud only thought of taking it with them to spend iv their own country. The ca3e was not the same as if the colonists had no other people whom tbey could bring here, or if labour could not be got elsewhere than from China. There wore millions of our own people who would flock to these shores, and fill the country with labour if required. He (the Hon. Mr Sheehan) would object to an alien race coming to New Zealand and taking up land. He would not deprive Chinamen of a living. There were large tracts of country and other fields of enterprise suited to Chinamen where Englishmen did not thrive. There was Queensland for instance, but New Zealand was so peculiarly Biiited to the British people, and should be colonised by those who had the beat right to come. But the actual question had not yet arisen in this Colony, and he would endeavour to impress working men who heard him with a firm faith in the high destiny of the country of their adoption.

Mr Swanson, M.H.R,, said, as a working man, he woukl auk every working man present to be his own friend, to iwa n.-> *-,_^ ron . age, to have s<,yma n~"*-' y _ v bftuk) " to ''j oill a ,lfin?r. v society, insure his life, and do anything that would secure him against a rainy day, when he could not work. A working man was sometimes told to be content with his lot, and a great deal of such advice had been lavished upon him ; but for his own part, he had always acted upon tha maxim that a man who was poor and content with his poverty deserved contempt rather than praise. Let them try to improve their position, improve themselves in every way, and to improve the condition of those who looked to thera for support. No man should ever, if he could help it, allow it to bo said of bim that he left Im family the bottom end of an empty meat-barrel to live on after he was taken from them.