The Otago Miners' Association. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 28

The Otago Miners' Association. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — It seems to me that tho correspondence under th f s heading has drifted away from the red point at issue. There are some diseases which cause the patient to think that everyone that they come in contact with are afflicted with their own trouble while they themselves are sound. Now, Sir, Mr Fen wick seems to be greatly concerned about the quality of my mind, and he makes other disparaging rental ks about me which I will pas 3 over as beneath my notice. Mr Ft n wick says I carefully avoid the main points at js->ne — viz., the inspector. I was not aware until I saw his letter to-day that Mr Fenwick considered this to be the most important point, and if he reads my first letter he will find that I frankly admitted that I knew nothing whatever about the inspector, so of course I accepted his explanation, but I have found out since that the inspector is known to a number of people in- this district, and as he is not a man of independent me:>ns people naturally inquire whether he inspects the mines from pure philanthropy or whether oiher business by which he can gain a livelihood is carried on at the same time. Then Mr Fenwick claims having found employment on the goldfields for a number of the unem-. ployed. I give Mr Fenwick and all others who have unselfishly given their time and ♦means to try to lift the unemployed from their unhappy position all credit for so doing, but still I maintain that I was not only justified in the part I took to prevent the Taieri Council from spending ■part of their revenue in such work, but I would have failed in my duty to the ratepayers if I had not done so, an ■ it does not require a prophet to fortell what the result will be. We live in the very best country in the "world for its size, and the unemployed have b en with us from the first until now. The only change that takes x>lace amongst that class of the population ia that the more prosperous the country the louder they clamour. There never were more men, according to population, den:apdiug work from Government tlnn m <h<; tarly sixties, when work was «t a premium, iie.ul> all tho main south road from Dunedin buii.g formed in lhat way, and up tv the piesent i3ay the problem has been under consideration and all manner of devices tried, but they have been but adding fuel to the flame. The Government, with its unemployed works, refuses to employ an independent workman. He mupt go to town and stand at the street corner and talk of his poverty before be can be employed, and whether the Otago Miners' Association means it or not, they are working in the same nirection w hen they try to induce the Taieri Council to refund the Bold duty and miners' riehts fees to tfec

I'association, thus inducing miners to join the association. This closes the correspondence so far as I am concerned, unless some totally new I feature crops up.— -I ana, &c , „ James Harrison. Middlemarch, November 23.