LAND AND LABOUR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 874, 27 August 1879, Page 2

LAND AND LABOUR.

Sir George Grey,, in his address to the Liberal Association of Wellington, said, " Let me utter words to you to-night which no political economist lias ever uttered, and which I believe men have been afraid to utter, because they have seen the state of things I refer, to. I ask you to admit whether these words, are true or not, and to pdnder them over in your minds. I say with regard to these two great sources of capital — we first of all have the earth to deal with — the earth, dumb, insensible, without passions, without hopes, without fears, senseless absolutely. The great i senseless mass has' been (or years the care of judges ; has been for years the care of legislators ; lias been for yearn the care of those who love to possess it and keep other men from it. It is admitted that for the last three hundred years decisions of our judges have gone against their fellow.men and to give the power of the earth to the few men who always manage to grasp it in their hands (Cheers). Now turn to the other great source or capital. Millions of human beings with passions — millions of immortal beings with appetities, with hopes--capable of feeling deep sorrow, deep misery— capable of feelirfg that ljfe and hopes are no use to them— capable of feeling that, by the hardness of their lot here they caa hardly work to obtain immortality afterwards— knowing that they are the progenitors of immortal beings themselves ; and feeling that they have no power to bring up the children entrusted to them by providence in the manner they would like on account of their poverty. I say, for hundreds of years these millions of human beings, their cares, their"necessities,j| their, sorrows, their sufferings, have been absolutely neglected in comparison to keeping in possession of this dumb being, the earth, some fewmen, and to shutting all the others out. (Cheers). 1 see a change has come about. The question in times past has been this — How to apply human labour in such a manner to tlie earth so as to enrich the few who possess it. That has been the thought in past years. In times to come our thought must be this :". Hbvf to use the .earth so that the other element that creates capital, human beings, shall be considered instead of the earth upon which they stand. (Cheers. )' Now, Ido firmly believe in my heart that those who put' out theser delusive proposals to you have never thought of that question. It is the one great question for us to solve at tlja present day. Use the earth for the happiness mankind ; not use mankind to labour upon the earth and enrich the few. This is the point to which our attention should be derected ; and I feel certain that unless you do gain Liberal institutions of the kind which will enable you to send to Parliament those men whom you believe capable of carrying out views of this nature— l say, I firmly in my; heart believe that in New Zealand will be set up oppression greater than ever has . prevailed in Great Britain. (Cheers.)