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Pahiatua Herald, Volume II, Issue 143, 2 May 1894, Page 2

We feel constrained to again draw attention to t'ue alarming state of the labor market in thu Rush districts. In Monday's issue of the llkiuld it was pointed out that there were in the Borough of Pahiatua more unemployed than in the city of Wellington. To those remarks wo might add that even when the article was penned, although wo had gone to some trouble to ascertain tho actual state of the market, we had not realised tho truly hopeless condition of local unemployed workmen. Some idea of the number awaiting employment may be gained when it is stated that for a small bushfelling contract, tenders for which were advestised in the Hehald, no loss than thirty tenders were received ; while for another contract for felling 100 acres of bush, 84 tenders wero sent in. Taking this latter number as a basis there are evidently sufficient unemployed men in the district to fell 13,000 acres of hush during tho winter. To further illustrate the terrible condition of affairs we might mention that at one roadside hotel in this district no less than 3G swagmen called and enquired for work within an hour-and-a-half during the present week. Yet, notwithstanding all this, the Government are intensifying Ae distress by sending up batches of city unemployed, simply to get them out of sight so that they may cajole themselves into tho belief that the unemployed difficulty is solved and that every man who wants work can get it. Vain delusion! While the tongue has power of speech, and the pen a hand to wield it, the Ministers will not bo allowed to so easily transfer their responsibilities and foist the burden of the oity’s unemployed on to the struggling settlers of the country. Why cannot they face the position like men, instead of dodging it like fools ? If Ministers can do nothing for the unemployed let them say so at once ; hi’ 1 for pity’s sake let them not make more hqpeless the lot of the settler aid the worker in tho country. Let them-at least refrain from dumping down in Pahiatua and Eketahuna the whole of the surplus labor of Wellington.