IMPORTED BOY LABOUR

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14221, 10 June 1910, Page 6

IMPORTED BOY LABOUR

MR. TAYLOR'S PROTEST. Mr T. E. Tavlor, M.L\, has sent the following telegram to Sir Joseph "Ward at "\\"f 11 i n^jct«■ 11 : —* ■ I desire to enter pin-;' phatic protest againsL the scheme for importing hoy laliour. Thousands of everv vear. and tin- work available ; n New' /••aland hj, longs rightly In them. anil it the labour conditions and pay are iust o:ir own population will do all work offer,ng." I .Mr Taylor told a reporter that ho' regarded the proposal as an attempt to' import indentured labour. ll' the ' sehenie was carried out u would certainly lead to much abuse. ]t seemed in he ridiculous to surest that, with over 101'IJi!)!) children in the schools of the dominion, there should ho a real dearth of laliour for any industry or any enterprise thai offered good wages and flood conditions, which would enable the hovs to live clean and comfortable lives. ' He was sure that if that . class of labour were imported as pro- • posed it would ultimately lead to a lowering of wages for native-horn boys. In a number of cases, probably in a very lame number of cases, the im- ' i ported lr.iys would never engage in . farming in a fhorou"h niar.no;-. and it would almost inevitably result in their being called upon to do the most upon which they were emp'eyed. "To my mind." Mr Taylor added. "the population of this country is i:i.Teas : ug I quite fast enough for the demands that i will be ma.de upon it by legitimate enterprise." j I A "Lytteltnn Times" reporter inter-' ' viewed >.lr E. Kennedy, the secretary of the Farm Labourers' Union, regarding the proposal. Mr Kennedy said ! that lie viewed the "reposal with entire hostility. There was no scarcity of farm workers in New Zealand, and any employer who was willing to nav a rcas -liable wage could -,..t eh the competent men he wanted. There was. however, undoubtedly a scarcity of the kind of labour required by some of the farmers. regarding whom evidence wr-s huiirers' dispute. One <if these men cniplevr-.l a lad from six or seven in the morning till seven or eight at nieht. ' and paid him no wa<>cs hevond his food and. clothing, while another employer paid a la.d who was working a team of and doimr oilier work. on his farm at Hie luunileeiit rate of tN a week and, fi und. That class ci" employer would always he in want of boys.