THE MIMIGRATION POLICY

Otago Witness, Issue 2745, 24 October 1906, Page 2

THE MIMIGRATION POLICY

The total co-c of the new municir.i. ouilding at Gr<>j mouth is £12,750. of which •amount Mr Carnegie contributed £2250, leaving the net cash cost to the ratepayers at £10,450. The fatal instinct of a drowning person Vmable to swim to clutch the nearest obstacle was illustrated in a sad manner in the Opawa River disaster (says the Ma.ilbprough Herald). Mr Baldwin, who wao a Strong swimmer, was held by eomeone on ■each side, so that his arms were completely smprisoncd. " For God's sake, let me go. fend I will save all of you, he was hoard to say; but alas! that strongest of all in fetincte proved as irresistible in his case as ia many another such incident,

The R«v. L. Svatard. "vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Over D irwen, Lancashire, who was married recently, had to publish bis own banne on account of the absence of his curate. General Booth has been givinz some adw'ce for the attainment of old age- The precepts on which, it must be admitted he himself ha- flounced wonderfully. include '■ Eai a; little as potable,'' "Drink plenty of water in prefeicnce to adulterated concoctions.'" "Take e\eici-e,"' 4 'Ha\e a s\o.tem. but do i'ot be a ;-la\e to it." "Do not, nil mjui life with a lot of .-illy and Fordid pica-ure-, to that when \ou come to cho jou will find you La\e u<jt really ' lived."

A TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL WARNING. LONDON, Octol.er 17. The president and secretary of the Canterbury Trades and Laoour Council, in a letter to the Manchester Guardian, warn KngLbhmen against coming to New Zealand. They point out that the labour market is overstocked, and that a considerable number of arti*>ar\3 and labourers are idle, chiefly owing to the inrush of Biitish and Australian immigrants. A DEPARTMENTAL STATEMENT. WELLINGTON. October 18. Mr J. Mac'kay. chief clcik in tha Lahou T> DepaifrnoJit's Offico, on being interviewed regarding ths Canterbury Trades and Labour Council's letter to the Manchester i Guardian, said that the exreiienco of the Labour Department w.w that competent, | navvies, bufihmen. road-rnakei =. milkers, and i gcsneral faim hands were exceedingly diffi- ' cult to get in the colony. As a matter of fact, the Government, in order to get men for the North I»!and Trunk railway works, was offering special conce.-sioru to men from other parts of the colony. As an illustra- ' tion of tho state of thing's experienced by the department, Mr Mackay stated that the | 6teamer Suffolk landed this morning fomo carpenters from England, and there were four or fno employers at the department? office seeking to engage them. Any competent carpenter, he added, can get work. "I have been a>ked for <arpenteis for \aiioiis places, and could ntn t get them." The Public Wo'-Lj Department wanted carpent"> -i at Nelson to go on the railway work--, and they could not bo got. A imn sent from Gisborne tor a dozen carpenters, and wo could only get a few To go. It follow^ as a natuiai con-eqiuncc that when carpenters a.re busy ether branches of the budding' ti«'V imi<-t at lea^t le fairly gocd. I hen ag<iin, pamteis were- wanted at r< Vilding. -it month**' work bo in 5 guaranteed it union ia.te of wagra and I eoiil<l only ?<_t. two or three. Cubincl-makci.-, ard uph&lsteren- nrc at a prcmioum." Mr Mackay •oncluded by remarking that. < f cour-e, he, was only- gi\inor tho ex|jenVnco of ibc department "There may," he icmarked, ha e\cr --o many men lieie «ant'ug work. but they don't coino here," and lie quoted from the Labour Journal of last montli to beat out what he had said in regard 10 Wellington. The 'eport saad that bvsino--; was satiafat trry. and that manufacturers 111 all line-, were Vept bu-<y Th? bmldiutr tipde-s «cic voiy a .cti\e, and engmeei inj? showed an nnprmen<jit. Factory tailoring \\a.-> reported -i? '-ting exceptionally good, and on in icgard to other uado«. THE TRADES AND LABOI It COUNCIL'S LETTER. CHRISTCTIURCH, Octol er IS. The following i> the te\t of the letter 'lorn the president and secretary of the 'anterburv Trades and Labour Council. übhshed in the Manchester Guardian, and \anniig English workers against (omin? o New Zealand: — '" Owing to the arrnal in the colony of New Zealand of a great number of working mmi, some of whom have left situation* in tho Old Country and broken up their Lome to come out bere, where they were led to belie*, c by the exaggerated repons of the colony published in tho same papers that situations were to '. be had for the stepping into, vie, ihe Exccuti\e of the Car^terbnry Tiado* and Labour Council, Lave been instructed by our coun- ', cil to compile for ihe bone fir of our fellowworkers in tho Home I. and. a statement setting- forth tho conditions of the labour ; market in New Zealand, and moie particularly the piovmce of Canterbury, together with an account of tl.e approximate purchasing power of the wages received ai.d the average amount of the said wage*. 1 Our object in taking this anion is chiefly, on the one hand, to disabuse the minds of 1 those who may be under tjie impression . that New- Zealand is for worker" a realisation of Sir Thomas Mores 'Utopia,' and, ; on the other hand, to prevent, if possible, the further troweling of <tn already over- . J

Mocked labour market. We belie\e that, there is a gieat future before this colony. We know that the New Zealand Labour laws are ahead of the Labour laws of any other country in the world. It has taken some hard fighting to get them on the Statute Book, and it requires continuous watching to keep them there ; but these laws cannot prevent the misery that always arises from an overstocked labour [ maiket. At the time of writing (August ! 25. 19C6). there aYe a considerable r umber of idle men. many of whom are competent I artisans, willing to do anything whereby they can earn an honest living, thereby swelling the ranks of tho unemployed general labourers. Various reasons can be given for the congested state of the labour murket at present, but the principal is the steady inrush of immigrants from Britain and the Australian States. In the engineering, ironmoulding," boatmaking, and all the branches of the building trade the natural increase in the population is sufficient to supply any increasing demand for labour. We are aware that the apparently high rate of wages in some industries in this colony is an inducement to many to spent] the few pounds they have scraped together in coming out to New Zealand. It would be well if the would-bo immigrants would take into consideration the questions of continuity of employment and the cost of living when dealing with the rate of wages. The wages of those who are termed unskilled workers range from 5s to 81;8 1 ; per day. while skilled workers receive from 3s to 12s per day. Tho average rent of I houses in Christchurch is 12s per week, which includes rates. In smaller towns rents -are a little lower, but in several cities of equal size to Christchurch the rents .are a little higher. The price of coal is from 30-> to 40s per ton. It will cost in an average household 4s per we°k for coal and firewood, while oil — the principal illuminant — will not coat less than 6d per week. Allowing 6d for such necessary trifles aa matches, candles, etc., and 6d per week for tho necessary daily paper (no feueh thing as a halfpenny paper), 17s 6d has been sp en t out of a good average wag© of 42s per week, leaving 24s 6d for food and clothing and household necessaries. Clothing is in no instance under 25 per cent, dearer than the same class of goods at Home, household utensils are a little o\er 25 per cent, dearer, and boots are 25 .per cent, higher. By our giving the ruling" prices of the necessities of life, those interested will "be enabled to draw their own comparison?. Bre.-d is 6d per 41b loaf; butler. It 4d per lb; cooking' butter. Is per lb (no margarine oh the retail market); potatoes. 81b per 1* : flour. 251b 2s 6d : crushed oats for porridge, 3s 9d per 201b bag; salt, 41b for 6d ; milk, 4d per quf.rt in winter and 3d in summer; jams and jedics. 5d per lib tin, 21b jars Is and upwards; tea, from Is per lb upwards; "ijtar. 2id per lb ; cocoa, from 9d per tin; coffee, fiom 1» B<l per lb ; hams arid bacon, much tho same a-. Home prices; fruit and \egetdb!e«, a trifle clearer than those of England and Scotland ; beef, from 6d per lb to 8d per lb: mutton, from 4d to 6d per. lb : cheese, from 6d per lb upwards ; eggs, from 10d in summer to 2s 6<l in winter (that is per dozen) : common articles, such as blackipg. blacldead. etc.. from lOd per eont. to 25 per cent, dearer here. It will be - seen from- the above Ihat the higher rate of wages ruling here does npfc make lning any the easier for the wageearner. There is not much margin for the proverbial rainy da.v or for sickness. Dealing with the question of sickness, as the majority of workers aro members of one or other of the friendly soceties, at lea-U Is per week would be required to pay his contributions, and at least 3d per week, d be na< a uniom-l. would be required to bo paid into the union, leaving now 23s Zd. Then, again, there are occasions when a dot tor has. to be called in. And bis fees paid by the individual. 6Uch as t'fe u^henng of a little stranger into the world. Ihe charges on the»c occasions are a minimum, of £3 3-. Many other details might bo iii-ertptl and infoimation gnen, but we arc afraid that this statement may occupy more .ipace than many editois arc willing to grant. Our endeavour has l>een to Jay before the Home woikcis as briefly and concisely as po€»ible the position of the woikers in the colony at the present time. In concln-ion. wo trust that this statement will receive that amount of publicity which it is justly entitled to. — Signed

on behalf of the evecutors, H. R. ReS» bridge (president), R. T. Bailey (secretary). ■' The letter was sent to 25 of the leading papers in Great Britain and Ireland.