WELLINGTON NEWS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 3739, 19 April 1898, Page 2

WELLINGTON NEWS.

(OWN OOBBESPONDENT.) April 15 TUB ABIBTOO3AOY 01 LABOUR. A screaming farce is being enacted k Wellington this week. A dozen labon agitators from varioas parts of tbe oolooj oalliog themselves a Trades' Oouoct Conference, are dieouseing legislation ft the alleged benefit ©f the workers. Noli* ing is too big for them and they on* descend to very minute affaire. Befon three o’clock this afternoon they bi settled no less than ten sobjeots, varyis) from tho mending or eliding of tbe Uppt House down to a condemnation of tin Ministry for playing the fool with lit Labour party. They seem to realiso, lib Mr John Hutcheson, M.Q R., that Tin* rnauy is a reality in our political life, fori budding statesman rejoicing in the didh of Biltcliff j, asserted that in Ghrislohord positions hhd been obtained for men it services given and uot on account 4 qualifications for the billets. Aootba spoke of the disgrace to tbe commaoil) when men wore set aside because the were too independent to walk after ] member of Parliament, and all tb&t i wanted is a good crawler to get bold of M.H.R and a place is secured for him U his family. This is severe criticism on sod devoted patriots as Seddoo and McKeoiij who aro so arduously advertising Ibd love for tho workers throughout tbe In and seeking consolation at packed meat iugs where no oppositionist is allowed If ask a single question. -The joke iboi tbe billets given to political touts ie thi while the Labour Parliament denouoci the system in the language quoted abort the motion to amend it by applicants who were qualified was lost a the casting vote of the Chairman, ahowiij that the majority were oontent to let t) “ good orawlers ’’ flourish like a green lM| tree.

The Minimum Wago Bill is a new# tare not yet introduced to the LogieUtW It is desigued to fix wages for labow* sJreetßweepers &o at 10s per day. Tbiil a very liberal measure indeed and © meet with enthusiastic approval. * Seddon as Minister of Labour, acting • the orders of his masters the Gjnforeaa will undoubtedly make this a policy 8 and plaoo it at the h*ad of the Oral Paper. Thore is only ono difficulty l making it universal and highly poplj' and that is tho stumbling block of fiod'l tho money. The wages fund of H country ia limited by circumstance* o' l which even a Trades’ Council Oonferejj with an oracle of the oalib-o of Bill* cannot control. Just now in New Zeal* the farmers’ average wheat crops »r»‘ bushels instead of 24 Graziers are sell' l their sheep for what they can get ton 1 them from starvation Cows have J* sold iu Southland for less than a poo* head baoause their owners have now Mines are being shut down in Auoklf 1 and the West Coast because tha foaot* of English capital have run dry owlof Seddooian mining laws. AH those tb>* and Bovoral others operate in deoreM 1 the wages’ fund. Supposing tho combi' employers of the oolony had two mi l '"' to spend in wages last year it is op"'! queotion if they have half that sum' year, becauso the wage fund arise* the profits after p*yiog tbo expeD** last year’s production But the of men who want work does not deer* because thore has beon a dry and tho crops have partially There is tho same nnmbor or among whom one million io bo disbursed instead of two mi" l Therefore if the Minimum becomes law and no one work for lees than 10* per day, it * 8 f as noon day that two days will oona" a week’s work and there will ha days for raoreation besides Sunday- . people who omploy labour will n* care to fell bush, dig drains, or sweep streets under such 000 Stil , as tbe proposed bill must be 1 duoed io order that Mr Beddon mtf swoet with theTrftdei’ Counoil Pa™*"*

tbii matter trill bate to be wrestled with, although any ordinary «orksr ia oapable of realiaiag that it i« moonatrack drive). Then another magnifioeut conoeption occapied the attention of tbeae Solons Nothing )eaa than Btate tailors' shops and Stats boot factories En pauant the members are ohi fly tailors aod shoemakers when they work, only agitating pays better and is more oongeoial. State tailoring was onoe tried in Franoe after tbe revolution of 1848. Loots Blaoo, a vail meaning Socialist was made Minister of Laboor and started State industries, among them a vast tailor's establish meet. Work was found in making ooiforms for the National Guard. Tbe material was supplied, the prioe was paid at IS franos, tbe same as had been paid to contractors, the bnildings were given rent free, and enough cash was given to each tailor evory day to keep sim The men, being their own masters worked as they liked and as a rale kept on ititcbiog for 16 boars instead of 12 when on wages. Everything went on merrily and they looked forward to tbe completion of the coo tract for tbeir profit!. When tbe scoonnts were made np there were so many uniforms at 13 francs, against wbiob was tbe subsistence money paid, aod tbe balance would be the amount formerly appropriated by tbe avaricious middleman. Alas 1 the adjaitmont showed tbst the State tailors bad overdrawn tbe torn earned by 3 franca per uniform Tbe other workshops turned out similarly aod tbs Treasury of France broke down onder the strain and the shops were shot op. Tbeo followed street fighting and wbiffs of grape and cavalry charges, and more lives were sacrificed than on the field of Waterloo. Probably none of tbe mambers of the conference have read this page in the history of Socialism, bat it wosld matter little if they had. They are so impressed with a sense of their own sagacity in law making that nothing leal than a well directed half brick would make any impression on their skulls,