The Unemployed.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7180, 3 June 1891, Page 2

The Unemployed.

Yes, they are with us; they are not in the country. They are the congestion of labour in the towns, labour which cannot be asked to tramp in search of employment which is difficult to get, to tramp aimlessly without organisation; organisation, in fact, for the purpose of bringing together employed and unemployed, does not exist in this happy-go-lucky country. They are simply people of whom society ib, like* the law, uncaring : De minimis non cur at. But they are the best capital ia this country; law-abiding, powerful, excellent citizens ; marked, quoted and Bigned by nature for the first class of producers; the hearts of oak that come straight out of the pith of the English race, conquering the world, settling it in peace, making independence for their families. Independence is their proper natural destiny ; it is the destiny which we should secure for them in these beautiful lands. A Minister of Labour with a Department of Labour will remove the reproach De minimis. The Village Settlement Bystem in conueotion with employment on a system of works at fair wages will provide the deatiny. It is objected that the price is too heavy to pay. Let üb, first of all, realise what the thing is that we are asked to pay for. The removal of congestion from the towns, the avoidance of the loss of taxpaying power in the country, the certainty of a very great increase in the number of broad shoulderß to carry the burden. That is the boon— the thing to be paid for. On the other side is the price. The price lies in the allegation that the Government is unfitted to carry out such a scheme. Now in the firat place the scheme has been proved absolutely sound by the Bucceas of the Feilding settlement in private hands. What has been successful in private bands ought to be successful in the hands of Government. Secondly, it has been Buccessful in the hands of Government ; vide the history of the.Special Settlement system in the North Island. Therefore the allegation ( that the price is excessive vanishes. "We can pay the price cheerfully. Let ua insist on getting the boon at any cost. That is to say, let us insist on keeping our people at any cost. Population, and population, and always population.