The Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 824, 13 September 1867, Page 10

Th e Ot ago Witness.

DUNEDIN, FRIDAY, SEPT. 13.

The week has been productive of many items of news of considerable interest. Amongst them, that bearing moat immeciately upon our social welfare, has been a movement by a few persons out of work, to compel the Government to find them employment. It is an unfortunate failing- with many who are out of work, that they allow themselves to be led the wrong way to gain a right thing. No sooner do they find a difficulty in obtaining work 1 than they at once assume that the Government is to blame, and they listen to the voice of the first violent demagogue, who seeks to make a profit by placing himself at their head. We do not believe that tlm is done with any wrong motive by the really well meaning artisan, who unfortunately finds himself unemployed ; but it has grown to be a fashion to agitate, and some mer live by it. Take away the occasion for agitation, and they find their occupation gone. They magnify their office and influence, and try to make their hearers believe that they are their friends, while all the while their very ■word* are dictated by motives the most unscrupulous and selfish. Let them rise, and they care not who sinks. Such are the self-elected champions of the unemployed. It would be an advantage if come well-understood, permanent arrangement were "made by the Government, to give temporary employ' ment to those desirous to work, but unable immediately to find it. Nothing can be worße than to waste time and means in waiting for something to turn up. Many, in consequence of monetary difficulties incurred through temporary forced idleness, have gradually sunk into a position from which years of weary up-hill labor have been insufficient to release them. But there are peculia* circumstances connected with Colonies, which every one would do well to bear in mind, and which only require to be pointed out to be acknowledged as unavoidable by right-thinking working men. Work to be done necessarily varies in and locality. In very few instances can permanent employment be found in any given place. Population is ' not sufficiently dense in the Colonies to give permanent »ork to any great numberof persons without frequent change of place. When it is reflected that the ' whole number of people in the Colony is ,[ probably not more than half that of the inhabitants of Manchester, and that '. they are scattered over an area equal

to that of Great Britain, it is evident that although the whole work to be done is far greater,' proportionately, than at Home, in some places it will be very scarce, while in others there will be a difficulty in finding men to doit.

Those acquainted with the early history cf Great Britain and the European countries will recognise a great similarity in that respect between their circumstances centuries ago, and those of the Colonies now. It was the custom for bands of associated artizans to go on working tours, moving from place to place as their services were needed, and stopping in certain towns only so long as there was work for them to do. Such a state of affairs had its in conveniences then, but the habits of the artizans of the present day, formed in the populous towns of the Mother Country, tend towards localisation. If, however, work will not come to a man, and he can obtain employment by going to it, no argument is necessary to show the course of his diity. It has always been found that it is difficult to induce immigrants to go up the country. They naturally wish to be employed, if possible, without loss of time. They are unacquainted with the new land at which they have arrived ; all things are strange to them ; it is very possible even that they may have to turn their hands to something very different from anything they have done before. Ignorant of the industries in progress in various parts of the country, of the state of population, of the demand for labor, in fact of. the chance of getting a job, they feel disinclined to move, through the consciousness that without more accurate information they may as easily take the wrong as the right direction. No doubt had many of those who complain of want of work been on some of the Goldfielda during the winter, they would have had permanent work at high wages. It seems highly advisable, therefore, that some reliable means should be adopted for giving information both to employers and those seeking work, so that a ready mode may be provided of enabling them to communicate with each other.

All arHzans will agree that so far as the Government finding work is concerned, it should only be done in order to prevent hard-working and industrious men from going back in their worldly affairs. It is one of the worst principles that can be advocated, that Governments should be competitors in the labor market. Were that the case, capitalists would very soon find themselves outpurchased by the Government. It follows, as a sound and healthy principle, that the wages paid by Government should be lower than those offeredby private firms ; for, then, none but those actually unable to find employment elsewhere would accept their terms. The ■work provided by the Government should form a test of the truth of the representations, that those applying to them cannot find work. The wages should be sufficient to guard against destitution, but not so high as to lead artizans to refuse work elsewhere. We are aware that there are those in the Province who seek to gain popularity by advocating a different ■course. Their theories, however, are so manifestly contrary to common sense, that no working man, employed or unemployed, will be misled by them when the true state of the case is laid before him.