ANOTHER MAN'S VIEWS.

Southland Times, Issue 19387, 10 September 1904, Page 3 (Supplement)

ANOTHER MAN'S VIEWS.

Sir,— l have noticed lately one Or two letters from New Zealand colonists in your columns recommending this country for working-men, especially so for farm hands. Now. sir, as an old colonist, as vrr*ll as au old farm hand in Scotland, I would advise thoso who might be drawn hither by any glowing accounts to weigh matters well before setting out on the meagre reports of ono or two who may have had friends to help them along. I admit that New Zealand has one of tho finest climates; in. the world ;, further, that wages' aro higher than anywhore for labour; also that years ago it was one cf the best countrioß for the working man ; hut things^ have changed greatly owing to unions having over-run tbe country, to bad laws, to the Government getting everything under their con. trol, becornlngi the people's landlords, and toi the rotten system of haUoting for land, so that' men with practical iability who could do sojae good with it have

ie ) very little chance of getting' any except je through a second channel, buying again >c from someono that was more fortunate at ie the ballot box who purchased merely for i C speculative purposes? -. Again, 'the co-operative- system in „ vogue by this Government kills the in- , dustrious hard worker, as his rato of 0 wages must not exceed the less capablo man's— in other words, the la_y loafer's d weekly wages must equal the able and , r capable man. In ordinary country U work, too, although wages are high, , there is toe* much broken time, as •bcs tween unions • and the Government fixing rato of wages, those having to employ da with as little ns they can ; and { as for farm worki, men that have been used to that at home cannot stand, tho system hero, which' in most cases is no system at all, especially in the North Island. A man's capability 19 judged [ by the amount of work ho gets over, not of tho quality of work.- Anyone here is considered fit t6 drive ahorse if ho can ply the whip. For these reasons r I would say that good ploughmen and farm hands with steady work all tho year round are far better off in Scotland than in New Zealand, unless they have something elso in view.— I am, etc., A COLONIST,: Waverloy, Now Zealand. ".' =