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Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 20, 15 June 1872, Page 2

A stimke of agricultural laborers lias talceitplaoe in South Warwickshire. This at thr; first glance a">pe.irs r.n. nnimportant matter to us in ->ew Zealand Indirectly, however, it is likely to have a very marked influence on the future of this colony. Whenever a movement of this sort i.s initiated it is nearly certain to pass from village to village and from county to county like an epidemic. The effect; of all strikes is to. reduce the laboring man to a state almost bordering on starvation. His obstinacy or his pride, as the case may I"n, com pels him to seek employment anywhere ralher than with the employers against conditions of service he has struck. If our Immigration Agent is alive to the position, there is every probability of? our receiving a most valuable addition to ovn* popntoition. lie must, however, be empowered to outbid L'anala. the Government of which country is offering* per week wages and board with 2')o acres of land added. They do not however, offer free passages. If the agricultural laborers are to be attracted: to a country in any numbers it is necessary that they should be able to travel to that country free of cost, or on such terms of payment after landing as shall be fair between the seekers of labour and those who cross the seas and supply the demand. T'ie benefit conferred is, on the face of it, mutual; it is therefore f.iir in the first place that the laborer should eventually pay for his transport to the land of his adoption, and in the second place io is equally fair that the people who are ready to receive suitable men and women as fellow colonists should advance the neccssary funds to procure passages. The utmost demand ojj the laborers on strike is 10s per week, out of which sum they have tr> provide clothes, food and lodging. Let us compare the condition of the same class of man in this colony The lowest wage paid him is l.js per week with board and lodging*. The difference in the cost of clothingOn o is very trifling, so that the laborer may be said to get the Same amount of wages as the highest prevailing in England, with board and lodging added. It must also be remembered that in the old country all articles of food are much higher in price than here, and that in consequence it is only possible for the laborer to provide himself with meat once or twice a week. These are incontrovertible facts, and there can be little doubt if they were ably represented to the agricultural laborers in England and the payment of passages provided for, that there would in a short time be an abundant supply of farm laborers in New Zealand. This desirable result cannot however be brought about by Dr. Featherstone, unless he adopts a different course to that which he is now pursuing. As he might sit in his ojice in Westminister for many a month before a single laborer would call upon him; if he cannot do so himself he should appoint some perso\i to travel through the agricultural districts for the purpose of represanting the advantages of emigration to New Zealand.