Letters to Editor February: 23, 1895.

*THE WORKER*

Brisbane, February 23, 1895.

Mail Bag.

WANTED - ( to prepare way for Socialism in our Time):

One Adult One Vote.

Land Tax.

Income Tax.

State Bank.

Shop and factories Act.

Eight hours day where practicable.

Referendum and Initiative.

Taxation of every person according to ability to pay.

The State to find work for unemployed.

The State to fix a minimum wage.

Free Railways. Free administration of Justice.

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The WORKER does not hold itself responsible for the opinions of its correspondents.

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T. - Inspired.

W.G. - Next week.

BARCALDINE – Had to alter slightly.

A.Vin – Glad to hear from you frequently.

Yannawada – Put the letter under the front door. We are sure to receive it.

B12 – The WORKER is not aware that Mr. J. Lloyd Jones, of Barcaldine, has a particular claim to be regarded as a friend of the Labour movement.

J.W. - I, Don't feel inclined to publish your letter. There's no use in stirring up strife! The minutes were revised by a committee prior to publication. We had nothing to do with them.

CRICKETER – The WORKER cannot definitely say whether Francis has received an offer from Staddart to play in England. His rumerous family ties may prevent him accepting any offer, however favourable.

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ED. WORKER – The difficulty experienced by certain persons in getting their names on the electoral rolls, may be judged from the following: John – a man resident in this district in one place

for three years, but whose daily avocation rendered him unable to sign his claim for election qualification before a local J.P., signed before a well known resident and requested him to have same attested before a J.P. The gentleman in question proceeded to the office of J. Lloyd Jones, who refused point blank to attest the claim, although the person in-trusted with the form told him he would make an affirmation on the party's behalf that the claimant signed in his presence . Still Jones would not attest the claim. - B12, Barcaldine.

ED. WORKER – There is in our town a most remarkable dispenser of “Law an' order.” In '91 he was agent of the Pastoralist's Association, confidential bosom friend of the late Sydney Sharwood, J.M. Niall, and all squatters, a reliable informant of Tozer's, also of Messrs. Rankin and Morris, Tozer's special agents. This J.P. (Oh! ah!) always took a prominent part in escorting blacklegs, blackleg carriers, their goods, &c., from the railway station to outside this township, his services, valuable as they were, being afterwards paid by retrenchment. His private letter-book contains many an astounding revelation written to prominent squatters. A copy shown me reads: “When will this tyranny of Labour against Capitalism cease? If I had my way I would let these unionists taste some of the gatling guns; or these revolvers Newton, of Brisbane, sent up.” He had then a case of them. - Old “Oh Ah.”

ED. WORKER – In a recent issue you published the following paragraph:

A striking example of how the public is fleeced is shown by the Sydney Telegraph thus: “ The amount of duty paid last year for imported sugar was £544,233. The total value of all the sugar grown in the colony during the same period is roughly put at about £300,000 which mates it appear as if the public were subscribing annually about one-third of a million of money for the privilege of owning a few acres of sugar cane, and a quarter of a million for providing dividends for one monopolistic refining company. With a free port for sugar as the present moment the finest sugar could be procured at about one-half of what is now paid by retailers. In the English counties the artisan can purchase his pound of sugar at one penny.

If you will kindly look up the revenue returns you will find that the N.S.W. sugar duty to which the Telegraph alludes yielded £144,000 not £544,000. The other statements are mostly based on the £544,000 estimate and are therefore equally erroneous. The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) is the most unreliable authority in this country in the matter of facts and figures. The same paper recently pointed a Free trade moral with the statement that oats couldn't be grown in Victoria, and when a correspondent pointed out that Victoria, not only supplied herself with oats but had a balance over for exportation, the latter was quietly suppressed. - J. CANE, Marrickville, Sydney.

ED. WORKER – I send you an extract from a letter of a friend of mine who attended the last Warwick show. He says: “The other day I saw a batch of unemployed camped near the show grounds, without tents or scarcely a moral of tucker. A more dilapidated, ragged and forlorn lot of men I have never seen in my life. I entered into conversation with them, and without a doubt I listened to some woeful tales of distress. Having given them all the tobacco and matches in my possession I left them and allowed my thoughts to wander to M'Ilwraith doing the grand on his homeward trip to England. I asked myself why should such things be. And echo answered 'Why?” How comes it in a land teeming with wealth, men willing and able to work are hungry ragged and homeless? There must be something wrong in your mode of Government. 'There must be something wrong in the state of Denmark.! Tell us what it is; tell us what is wrong in the colony of Queensland.” 'This is something like what I saw in “Erin of the streams” some 40 years ago. The dark shadow of the landlord's notice was ever on our cabin floors; we never knew we should reap the crops we sowed.

I dig and plough, but I never know

If my hands shall gather the crops I sow;

And the crop I gather, though good it be,

Brings never plenty or peace to me.

I pour my sweat on the soil like rain,

I coin my blood – for another's gain;

The more I add to the land's rich bloom,

The nearer bring I my threatened doom.

                                                           DENIS LINEHAN.

ED. WORKER – In your issue of the 2^nd instant I read a letter signed “John C.,” in which the writer attempts to adversely criticise a letter of mine which appeared in the WORKER a few weeks ago, and comes to the conclusion (without the least particle of reason) that I must have had the word”scab” applied to me or to some particular friend of mine, otherwise I would not advocate the suppression of the expression. WORKER readers will remember that I suggested propagandist lectures for the education (in union matters) of workers generally, and in doing so I thought I was furthering the interests of the A.W.U. But “John C.” in trying to prove the absurdity of such a thing as instructors for workers inadvertently shows that it is just the thing that's wanted. He says that 95 per cent of the non-unionists of '94 were staunch unionists in '91, also that 30 per cent of them were delegates at one time or other. All this is gospel, according to John. However, we will accept it as such, including the percentage of delegates. Now, why did this 95 per cent of last year's non-unionists “turn dog” on their union? There is only one of two answers to that question. Either the union is a delusion and a snare, or the workers are not educated and organised sufficiently. I think all sensible unionists will agree with me when I say that the latter is the correct answer to that question, and such being the case I was not very wrong in advocating instructors or lecturers – whichever name you like the best – for the edification of such as “John C.” Now John says I should not speak slightingly of larrikins, “who,” he says, “have too much respect for the opinion of white men to be 'scabs.'” Now this larrikin element in union camps is a matter which should be looked to by all honest-thinking unionists.

Wherever there is a prospect of a bush strike those training ship boys, jockey boys, beer-aparrers, &c., flock into union camps from the large cities and towns, as they know that the camps are as good as a benevolent asylum for them, and they will not be so much harassed by the police as when in their “native haunts.” They come and eat our tucker, towards which they never contributed, and never intend to contribute, a single shilling. They never assist us in any way while the strike is on, and when declared off “der push” paddles its own canoe back to their old haunts, and leave us “alone in our glory.” A truly beautiful class, of which anybody of John C.”s way of thinking would, or at least should, feel deeply indebted to them for being allowed the honour of championing their cause. When John C. says that the term scab must have been applied to me or to some particular friend of mine he is just about as correct as when he prescribes hell fire in preference to moral suasion as the panacea for “scabbing.” I may as well inform “John C.” that, whoever he is, I am as old a unionist as he is, I am as good a unionist, and I can produce as clean a union sheet as he can. - CARRIK HONEY, EULO.

ED. WORKER – Captain Downes seems to have a very good opinion of lascar crews, and a very poor one of the British sailor. This gentleman is the first sailor man whom I have ever heard say that sailor man whom I have ever heard say that lascars were any good in cold weather, and I have had nearly 20 years experience at sea. Downes says he has never known them fail. If so, how is it that so many captains and mates are hauled before the “beaks” in London for ill-using them? And the answer is always; “They will not budge off the deck in cold weather to take in sail.” Lascars may do right enough in their own country ships, but in cold weather they are useless, and it only stands to reason that they should be, through climatic effects. At least that is my experience of them, and I think it is as good as Captain Downes's. - TASMAN.

ED. WORKER – After a careful perusal of Labour Member Cross's meeting at Clermont, as reported in the Rockhampton Bulletin. I have become more than ever decided that his views on “financial reform” are just the correct thing; that his Mortgage Limitation Bill” would of necessity relieve the money market to that extent which perforce would free the medium of exchange, because of the fact that all security beyond original contract would be beyond the power of money-lender or mortgagee. His ideas also regarding a State bank are the most practical I have seen laid before the people of these colonies. His idea of Government issuing notes upon values is the same as the banks do at present. There is not the slightest danger to be apprehended by the issue of paper money under the scheme set forth by him. There is no wild indiscriminate and foolish issue of paper money as some imagine even set forth. I should liked to have seed the WORKER made a point of this important scheme of financial reform. It is a credit to the party that a man in their ranks who can grapple intellectually with financial matters. Mr. Cross has shown his ability to do so, and his fellows should stand by him and master the views he has so well set forth. – JOHN CLAY.