MR EDGELER'S MEETING.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2054, 3 June 1890, Page 2

MR EDGELER'S MEETING.

A meeting convened by Mr Edgeler was held last Saturday evening in the Oddfellows' Hall, Temuka. " Tber« was a fair number preseat, and on the motion of Mr Metson, seconded' by Mr Cant. Mr W. L. Duncan took the chair, and briefly introduced the speaker. Mr Edgeler asked them not to bi> alarmed, but mark well what he said. Had shearers and laborers generally made a cheque big enough to keep their families? They had not/but the squatters, the farmers," and millowners,had. They paid the laborer barely one-third of the : money ho earned. Did farmers employ one man on 100 acres a year. If they did not make £5 a year out of a farm they ought to be turned out as unprofitable, for they were keeping the Government out of revenue and the laborer out of two-thirds of his wages. On a farm of 100 acres farmers to make £5 per acre, which meant £SOO a year, and out of this the laborer got only £BO. The men got only 6s out [ot every poutl d they "earned, and the balance went to keep the fine trapi and carnages of farmers. The London dockmen struck because they only got 5 parts of 8, but in New Zealand laborers got only 2 parts of 8 farmers had unioDs and co-operative stores, and if wo.king men followed their example they would be getting Is an hour. It was not right men should sleep in a stable. They were not born in it. With regard to those mni l f L e at threshin g mills for 9s per 1000 they ought to get 12s and Found. At 3d per bushel mill-owners made £l2 10s per 1000 They"paid 10 men at 9s £4 10s, driver and feeder £1 15»

7Z™ UU , U ,V° B ' lQCereßt on capital of f/SS? 10 per cent - £B ° or Per 1000, or in all £7 10 8 , which left them a clear profit of £5 per 1000 bushels. Say they threshed 50,000 to-1? P, r looo'I ooo ' the m iH-owner« got u ,I e the men & ot only £22 10i each. Was this £l2 an/good to the workmen. If they combined they f C m °Ml- ge V fc - a farmed told him he could not keep his house for less than £4OO a year, and he (Mr £tt? Baid he COuld kee P his ho » 88 for £SO a year. The farmer looked f J«J. and «ud.; You ."•.Bil.he were Vhty tO Z mabln e the comparison. 100t 7 Tv * n T that would look at him after that speech. Ke was not a babbling fanatic, but a staunch, true, and tried friend of the working man, He had carried through great undertakings, and he never tailed. (He was the father of deferred-payment and the lown Board j so this was not the only time he had shown his abilities. He Knew a man who made £32 out of twe acres; another who made £23 out of one acre, and another £l3 10s out of less than half an acre and £0 out of a quarter of an acre, another £l.i out or Halt an acre, thus making £BB JOb out of 4£ acres, or £2O 16 s per acre.

Giro fire acres to each of these laborers, and they will make £IOO a year out of them. Let them stick together and send working men to Parliament—real working men—not Liberals who go in to get a National Bank for farmers. (Tremendous applause, and laughter continued for sometime.) He knew a farmer who made £3 clear per acre of 26 acres and had the paddock to run his cows in for six months, which would be worth £lO more, making in all £7O for looking on at others doing the work. Mr Edgeler continued in this style for, about an hour, flinging out figures, and making appeals to his fellowlaborers to join the union, after which he sat down, after having received a patient hearing. One of those present got up to ask a question, but the moment he did Mr (Edgeler got excited and refused to answer any question but called on those present to put down their names From that out the meeting became decidedly comical, and the fun grew fast and furious, but there was nothing in it worthy ef reporting. On the whole the meeting, although not in a serious mood behaved in a very orderly manner, and regret was generally expressed that the proposal to form a union had not come up in a more business-like manner. The chairman left the chair, but was put back again into it, and, after three-quarters of an hour had been spent in harmless badinage, a yote of thanks and confidence was put and carried.