KAITANGATA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 13

KAITANGATA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) March 29th.

The weather, keeps fine, so that farmora aro all , busy with harvest operations. Most of the crops ahout here are cut, and on many farms stacking has been ' begun. Let ub hope that it may be finished while good weathor lasts, 1 so that the grain may bo Becured in good condition. One day last week the tide rose on the viver bo high as to flood some of the low-lying land at the lower end of the island. I haye net noaid of any great damage being done, however. Coaldoes not seem to be in very groat demand justs now — a t i ea st judging from the small quantity leaving Kaitangata such seems to be the caae. Perhaps, however, it ia only that coal from this locality has gono out of fashion, or is being driven out of the market, | that trade is so dull with to. At all events it ia to be trusted that there will soon bo an improvement, so that all hands may be busily employed. In most of the larger collieries of New Zealand ben oflt societies have been established designed to make gome little provision for their members m case of i-itte-ness or accident. Each of theße societios is entir ly independent of the others, aome of them being on the principle of a yearly division of the funds left after meeting all charges during the year ; but all are only small local concerns which would be entirely useless in the case of some buddeu catastrophe, such as the Kaitangata explosion. Now, what I would suggest is, that all tbeso small local societies should be merged into one general fund for the whole Colony, and the rules so fiamedaa to admit not only coal-tmnera, but all miners whatsoever. By such means a very strong society would bo formed, which would bo able to relieve the wants- of sufferers from any accidents arising, without calling upon the public for subscriptions in any case. Besides were such a fund established 1 have no doubt that most mine-owners would gladly contvibute, and contribute handsomely too, if only io shelter themselves from actions for damages arising through accidents happening to any parsons in their employment. f>ome such scheme as i am now advocating has been established in many mining diatiicto at Homo, as the result of the Employors' Liability Act. becoming law. Trno, thero would bo moro ditneulty horc, by reason of our mines being bo widely scattered, V>uc I cannot see that that should 1« aw inßUjwmblo barrier. A central committee could bo olectvd, *a.V hi Wellington, as bmug mo-st central, with branches wherever theiowere miners. The sunscrHtkui for tho minem could be fked at a vory low iato, yot still the fund would very soon sw ell to large propo>tio"c Snub a I fund, bebiilea sopplyinir a jrveat want from a puuuniary noint of view, as providing fot families deprived uf their breadwinners, and ako providing a means of subsistence for those who wo.ro unfortunate (iuuUijli to be unable to cam their broad, through, ace'denb or otherwise, wpnld be a powerful lueaiia of di awing the mining community into cloae union and brotherhood. It would albo tend to briug master ivn i man into elostir contact, and won d cortainly tend lo show how great is the community oi interest between them, how impousiblo It is for the one class to exist without the other, and so help to extinguish that spirit of antagonism between capital a?i'l labour which seems to bo growing <avuc sfcroncer in this fair land of our adoption. Woro such a society founded, it would eventually eomo to be r«gai'ded as a park of its business to aottlo all disputes that might happen to ame between workmen and employers, and bo prevent, tho occurrence of st-ikwa, which are a curse lo all concerned- and that i?, the i whule community ; they arc a disgrace to our civilisation and ought to bo abolished, and if this Hociety were iouiulca I ha\e »o <JoubUhat it, would be a gioat j sto» lowaids that much-to-bo-dcfliied objoct. As I , have said, uuch a suhemo would assist in doing away with public aubacriptions, and public subscriptions are n, public nuisance ; no doubt it is rightand proper that ' weshonld begenerouaenoughto assist theunfortunate, und 1 &insw>Jy t«UBt everyone will ftlwayado so j but no

one can help feolinsr a little biUor towards those who havo neglected (o p rondo for their families when they could entily Juve dotu: ao by a vory HW.lo forethought. Admitted tihai; we cannot, in tho name of our common community, atiuid by and nee a fellow creature • least of iJi hdjilcss children— perton for want, utill it i« hard Lint these who nro careful and economical, who scrimp and save so that they may be af)!<* to provide lor their own families should be compelled to provide for the families of tho-ju who will not do so, whoare extravagant and wasteful. It iseeins as if a premium were thus put upon iinnrovidonco, and tlw.l the okifcvshioued virints of pravidov.ee, frugality, and industry were of no ftccuiiiii amongst v«. The need of some such fund as 1 havo mentioned is more pressing ainongwt miners than alraoH* any of.lior cto, beiause mining ia always very dangerous; even with tihe utmost care accidents will always occur, and these arc more numerous and more serious than in almost any othar calling, consequently the want of some means of relieving distress amonyst fcliuso left destitute by accidents will almiyfl be severely fcit amongst minors. Again, in a fowyeaia at farthest, the Kaitangata relief fund will havo to be dealt with, became- au years roll on those requiring relief will become fower and fewer, bo that evtntualiy none of those for whose benefit it wis raised will require it ; consequently, the question will bo, What shall be done with it 7 I fan conceive of no better application of it than to hand it over to tho committee in charge of some such fund as I am advocat-ing the establishment of, because it would servo a* tho nucleus of a larger fund to be applied permanently to relieving distress occasioned by mining accident*, and thus stimulate the minors to provide for all Bucli cases themselvea. By this means tho noblo generosity of tho Colony would be effective in a measure never droamed of by those who contributed to the fund, by relieving the public from tho liability of being suddenly culled upon to provide for ouch another accident, which may occur at any moinonfc for aught they know. And now a word to the miners thcma«lvoa. You know ctich one of you that there aro many dangers in your caliin^. You kuow that at any moment iou may lie disabled, How comforting then the knowledge that in sudi a. rase you can claim the means of subsistence, not as charity, but as a right. Yon. know also that death may come to you at any momout. How terrible then will tho dread summons be, when you know that 3 f ou aw leaving a loved wife and helploss children—your own flosh and flood— to battle with the world for a crust ? Which of you would wish to havo wife or child depend on the generosity of friends or charity of strangers for bread? What soul amongst you is so mean as not to recoil with loathing from such a thought? Can thoro be one who is not endowed with so much independence of spirit as to feel that charity, no matter how delicately it is given, is degrading? Who is there who would not be enabled to face tho grim king of torroro with more courage were he not harassed by fears for the future of his family, were he consoled by tho knowledge that after he wa.-j i;ono tho dear ones he left bthind would not he required to go through the terrible ordeal of fighting the world alone, or undergoing the bifcter mortification of accepting charity. How much more proudly does a man walk the earth, assured that by his own prudence and forethought he had secured tho privilege, tho proud consciousness of knowing that, let the dread summons come when it may, tho wife he loved, the children he laboured tor, would not endure want ; that even in death ho provided for them still ! One who feels this and acts upon the feeling is a true man, who will always command the >espect of other men, no matter what may be his position m life. I kuow there are many such amongst the miners, and it is to thoßO I address myself more especially. Up and be doing ; seek by every lnaami to induce your lebs thoughtful fellows to follow your example and make a provision for an evil day, oven while there is yet time. Establish this fund or eotne auuh means of providing for the futuie, aud you will deserve the respect and gratitude of all your fellow colonists. There are Kovonvl miners in this pkco whose opinions coincide with mine in this matter, who will, I am sure, be willing 111 1 co operate with miners aild otherd in other paits of tho Colony who may be desirous of seeing some such scheme initiated. At any rate, the subject is one well worthy of consideration ; at least I think so, aud shall be vo/y mnch pleased if someone more able than 1 am will take up tho matter aud ventilate it thoroughly.