Letters to Editor May 25, 1895.

*THE WORKER*

BRISBANE, MAY 25, 1895.

Mail bag.

WANTED – (to prepare way for Socialism in out Time):

One Adult One Vote.

Land Tax.

Income Tax.

State Bank.

Shops 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.

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

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DETECTIVE – Yes; both scrutineers and returning officers. Many thanks for your enclosure.

J.W., Rockhampton – A letter such as yours would in our opinion do a deal of harm and no possible good. It will be a very hot and a very dry day for the workers of Queensland when they give up trade and labour unionism.

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ED. WORKER – The lengths men in the Wide bay and Burnett protect against the stoppage of five days' pay by the railway commissioners. VERA.

ED WORKER – Just a few lines to let you know how the land laws act in this place. One solicitor pays threepence per acre, while his neighbour gets it for three halfpence and the scrub taken off, and if you want a homestead you must go outside of their marked tree lines or pay one pound per acre for it. - FAIR PLAY, Taroom.

ED WORKER – Re letter by “Samson” in your issue of May 4^th. “Samson” did not mention the worst part of Blank's sweating, viz. Working men until 6 o'clock on Saturday, thereby making a week of 60 hours (creeping up to Russian hours, eh!) The employe's at the woolscour likewise work the same hours. Nearly time the eight-hour bill was passed. Believe me, this Barcaldine holds three or four of the dandiest sweaters in existence in this part of the world. - ABOUT SICK OF IT.

Ed. WORKER – As the last session of the present Parliament is near at hand, there may be a general election sooner than we anticipate. It therefore behoves us to keep wide awake on all particular points, more particularly those points that would split our votes. Now where two men stand as Labour candidates to compete with one another, the Labour candidate that is not chosen by organised labour should stand down in favour of the one who is. A straight labour man will do this. If he does not, and persists in going to the poll, he must be reckoned as a man who is not straight and therefore not entitled to receive one vote. - T. M., Deeplead, Pentland.

ED. WORKER – In answer to W. Kewley re wages made by cane cutters last season in this district, by inquiries I find that one gang of men at Meadowlands plantation earned 30s. per week clear of all expenses during the time they were working. A man belonging to another gang told me that their earnings were 27s. per week. Some lost days may have affected this rate. Better system adopted for the coming season. Farmers claim that they give 31 per ton more this year. Quotation of prices: Threshed cane, 14 tons and upwards per acre, 2s. 9d. ; 10 tons and under 14 tons, 3s.; all under 10 tons, 3s., 3s., 3d., and 3s. 6d., delivered on main tram lines – lay and relay trams in field; cutters to find everything, pay 5s. per day to farmer for horse and feed him, or 7s. 6d. and farmer feed him. - DONALD BEATON.

ED. WORKER – Great indignation is felt at Wallangarra owing to the Minister for lands withdrawing at the last moment from selection all the land which was thrown open in 40 acre blocks a short time ago near Wallangarra. Nearly every person in the neighbourhood were bent on having a selection and many were scraping up for months every shilling they could in order to get a home. But their hopes were blighted, for at the last moment the land was withdrawn from selection, and is now offered to the public at £2 per acre, which is beyond the reach of any poor man and is certainly more than the land is worth. It is well known here that this sudden change has been brought about by the action of a few government officials who own large herds of cattle and wish this land to remain a reserve on which to depasture them. As a matter of fact they had the assistance of our member, Mr. Foxton. This is the way to settle people on the land with a vengeance. - WALLANGARRA.

ED. WORKER – I went to the Bishop of Melanesia's lecture and was very interested in the limelight views and the instructive information. But there were a few things the lecturer said which I could not agree with. In the first place he said the kanaka working on the plantations in Queensland was well treated, had good food, and good houses to live in. I have lived on one of the plantations in the Bundaberg district for the last two years and can contradict all three of these statements. It is no uncommon thing on a plantation to see a boy dragged out of his miserable bunk when he is nearly dead with some disease, and sent to work. In fact I have seen kanakas ill-treated and kicked about in a hundred different ways. I have been inside some of the “good houses” they live in, and such dens of filth as they are, are a disgrace to the people of Queensland. It is nothing to see about 30 of them sleeping in a place 18 x 20. The kanakas barely get enough food to keep body and soul together. As for the clothes they receive: I am a clothier by trade and have priced their good clothing. Each boy gets a shirt, a pair of pants, and a hat once in six months. The shirt quite dear enough at 11 1/2d., the pants 2s. 11d. and the hat any price from 6d. to 1s. - W. M. PEASE.