Wages and Living at Home and In the Colony.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11648, 28 August 1905, Page 6

Wages and Living at Home and In the Colony.

to the Editor. '' " 5 ''- ' r

Sir,— Ee your leader"' on a. "Slander on the Colony," will you kindly allow me to say a few words on the subject raised? as to 'cost, of house rent, clothes, boots, etc., in this town and in suburban London, of which I can speak, and know well. Where in> this town: can" a <inait get a" house of four rooms, with ' washhouse, scullery, bathroom, all conveniences for 6s 6d to 76 6d per "week, which I know can be obtained in ' London, or rather the' suburbs of' that city. As regards clothing, can a 'man get a well-made suit-' of clothes in this town for "half ,of £p, is Mr Hatrick said." lam sure I don't know where they can be obtained, unless they_ are slop-

made, and then I do not doufet if a suit cau be obtained lor that price. But in London there are many "tailors who will make a suit for that" price and a good one at that. Again, as regards firing in Lon- ' don, from 17s to £1 per ton is the price paid for good house coal delivered with from 200 to 300 miles of railage,-.and here sea-borne coal is practically double this price, with an exception in favour of Newcastle, wjiicli is for sale cheaper. In a good many things I notice very little difference, such as bread, butter, milk,' and eggs, but potatoes are nearly always at least 50 per cent dearer than Home market prices; and other vegetables arc practically twice the price- As regards \vag-?s being correspondingly higher, that may apply in some cases, but I am afraid not many, .At i-iny tr,ade, when .I, left Londor?'tiie rate of pay was £2' 2s for a 52 hours' week, and out here-- 1 am. at present earning 15s "per week more; ,but am sure that I am not that 15s better off each wdek, nor anyfcliin'g- like it. With regard to your statement that some men cannot get anything to do because they do not look for it, I only speak for myself, and know that at one period I went through' the principal towns in both Island for sixteen weeks and never earned a penny, and' in the end had to take a job at less money per week than I had received since T was serving my apprenticeship. I quite agree as to the amount of poverty in England, but there arc cases in this toWn quite as bad. 'though -the persons" hide it as much as possible. Thanking you in anticipation. I am, etc., ONE FROM ENGLAND, BUT WHO HAS SPENT SOME TIME IN A FEW OTHER COUNTRIES. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — £11 your leading article to-night I was much interested and a little amused. As 'I have not seen "Working Man's" letter, I. am limited to your own qttotations.*' From' his letter 'yon* appear 'to take great exception to what he writes, and^ this is what I would like to know : What is the uniform price of a . suit of clothes (tailor-made) in Wanganui, and how much cheaper, than his prices can you ' buy these articles you quote, except the potatoes, whicli price is a bit , exaggerated? I deny that you can buy decant fruit' for half the price as you say. Now, you state that wages here are ' much higher in proportion to the cost of living in the Old Country. To this I can emphatically say No. I know young men in this' town pver/20 years' of. age' earning 22s '6d per week, and find themselves, and if our worthy" Mayor is 'not aware of this fact I can prove it to him. Now, sir, is that better than the Old Country? I remember reading the result of an interview with Mr Hatrick relating to his visit to tlie, Old Country. Mr Hatrick said, relating to a conversation with a London "bii3 driver, "that if- the driver came to New Zealand he would be considerably better off. London 'bus drivers get 7s 6d per day', averaging 10J hours a day. They do c not groom, harness, or feed their horses; merely take fheir seats on the box. Now here drivers have to feed, groom, and yoke, and frequently clean harness; vehicles, etc. I claim that they put in on an average at least li hours to their 8, .making 9£ hours a day, for £2 2s and £2 5s per week respectively. This proves with the Wanganui prices. ;that living here is a long way inferior to England. As regards clothes, in the Old Country I can buy a first-class suit for £2, and in London and Scotland even less. It is a common sight on a coster's "barra" in London to buy oranges at four, 'five, and six a penny. In reference to Mr Hatrick's statement regarding the poverty at Honie being unknown "in New {Zealand, I:have- seen as-genuine -poverty here as anywheie else. In England, -a large over-populated country, poverty must be expected, but in this country, where there are not a million people, it ought 'to unknown; but, alas, it is aot so. In writing this I have no wish .to slander Wanganui or New Zealand, 'but as glowing advertisements have ap ; * peared at Home inducing emigrants with and without capital to come here, these advertisements, which hdve not always been according to the truth, ought to be contradicted, and that is the reason, sir, J write. Mr Hunter, un'iko a good many, jmust have struck oil very quickly— a con.trast to those emigrants which' landed in Wellington some' months • ago, who had a rough reception for some time. I am not prejudiced myself, being cosmopolitan, as 'I get on very well in New Zealand, still •I am a lover of truth and honesty. — I am, etc.i