THE CARPENTERS' WAGES QUESTION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6086, 1 December 1886, Page 2

THE CARPENTERS' WAGES QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOK.

Sib — In your issue of list evening I notioe a paragraph referring to the rate of carpenters' wages in Auckland and the contractor for the Colonial Bank buildings, wherein it is made to appear that he ia bringing carpenters here to work for 6s or 7s a day. My purpose in notioing it is to remove such false impressions, and to point out that were euch the case it would only be consistent with fairness and freedom. If consumers of buildings, or boots or bacon, olaim and exeroise the right to buy their commodities where they can get most value, why not a contractor, who is a consumer of labour direotly as every one is indirectly ? And now let me aEk, Do well-paid artisans and salaried officials of every degree over trouble their minda whether the goods they oonsume have, &\ the price they purohaao, yielded a poor or a fat living to the producer ? They laave everything to the almighty law of competition, or supply and demand. While forced to recognise its Bway, I profess allegiance to another and, as I think, better law or motto, "Live and let live," and whether it a»ya much or little for tha prosperity of any district that the labour markot is glutted, it is clearly tho most rational way to better things to afford an, outlet for Bomo of the labour: Hoping these observations will act as a balm to the troubled ones,, — I am, &o, E. Mobbis. Wanganui, November 80.