WORK AND WAGES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18541, 29 April 1922, Page 15

WORK AND WAGES.

TO THE KDITOB. A Sib, —Another writer on this subject, Mr I William Young, of Oamaru, comes to light : with a aide issue, a valid point in industrial . life, which is ignored by hosts of people, that of temperamental aptitude of each man to his job. Thanks, Mr Young, for reminding ns that we might brood over the sweet might-have-been, of dreams unfulfilled, etc., but- we, as workers (especially casual workers),' have been up against it so much and so often, that we have become hardened to our adverse surroundings; the corners so knocked off our sensibilities, that we have long ceased to woory or care. This is a chaotic world, and humanity a seething mass, moving ■more or less automatically, no hand of unseen Intelligence guiding their destinies to the - best possible advantage, although we are constantly hearing frdm the pulpits that there is. There are degrees of adaptability, and most people born into this world can find quite a variety of occupations at which they could more or less make good. I- don’t say at anything and everything. Most people can manage to ■ avoid their “pet” aversions, even we general labourers, for among the unskilled groups ,-of _ trade, there is the wide variety from “pitoh-an’d-toss to manslaughter,” to choose from. And there are certain kinds of work, of trade there is the wide variety of mental faculties are called into action,*/and if a man doesn’t like killing a sheep,'although he may like harvesting, he should not become-a farmer. Again, if a man has the gift of constructive ability, and would turn out, we’ll say, a civil engineer,- work with shovels and wheel-barrows should be interesting to him, if ho has to do it, for the two are closely related, ' much smore closely than are . shovelling and milking’ cows. But it is ridiculous to say one is born to be a farmer,' and nothing else, another a bill-sticker, and nothing else, and so on. Mr Young is quite right in his general observation, though, that a lot of dynamic human energy is going to waste ; in uncharted channels, and that it is to be found, not only on public works, but everywhere, and this due entirely to the stress of economic necessity in youth. This country is given over mainly to agricultural and_ stock work, and not in any other, occupation _is there much scope offered, and what little there is is readily snapped up, the battle, as usual, to the strong and the cheeky. The tendency of to-day is centralisation, to stick to or migrate to the towns and cities, aijd give the baokblooks a wide berth. Surely industrial concerns could bo established, here and there, to relieve the now chronic unemployment, as there is no encouragement given to go on the land, the land being looked in the all-powerful jaws of capitalists. This state of affairs has been aggravated by the war, and the fictitious land boom of recent years; so that those who would go on the land cannot do so now. Returning to the original point of paying by results, give a, man, one with the qualities of man, I mean, some incentive to put his heart into his work, even though that work may not be his first choice, and he will, later on, find leisure and inclination to qualify for whatever craft or profession he may care to take up.—l am, etc., H. J. 0.