Letters to Editor: February 2, 1895.

*THE WORKER*

Brisbane, February 2, 1895.

Mail Bag.

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

One Adult One Vote.

Land tax.

State Tax.

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.

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

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SEMAPHONE - Toc blue.

TIM SWIVELLER – Not too bad; not to good.

H.C. Says it is quite true there is no justice in Adavale.

TIN TIN – No quotations lately appearing in the Sydney prints.

H. - “A blockhead can find more faults than a wise man can mend.”

B.E. - He's hardly worth the mention. Promotion is his aim all the time.

G.R., Jinghi Jinghi, near Dalby. - See our advertising rates, first column, page 2.

J.L., Gympie. - Yours is a very interesting criticism. Shall note your suggestion re breaking new ground.

CORRESPONDENT in St. Louis, MA. - A torn envelope addressed to this journal, arrived lately with the contents abstracted.

F.D. Has it on good authority that the squatters propose to raise the wages of the regular station hands and import cheap labour from somewhere. We know nothing about the proposal.

D.T. - You prefer country life to city life, but every man is not going to hermitize himself for mere bread and potatoes on a selection. Another thing; Why should men have to pay one fifth of the total crop top any other man, as rent, if land should be held in common.

F.D. - There's the true revolutionary Anarchist ring about this:

And if no other way is open,

If peaceful means will always fail,

Why then, my lads, we'll have to drop 'em,

And fight old Tozer tooth and nail.

You'll get yourself into trouble into writing “verse” of this character.

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Ed. WORKER – As one who seeks the welfare of humanity, I was very much pleased to see that the members of the Hughenden Branch of the A.W.U. have recommended discouragement of the use of intoxicants among its members and officials. This, I consider, is a step in the right direction, as if that were generally adopted it would make our voting power more solid, and the men would be better able to help in time of strike, &c. - Anti – Beer.

Ed. WORKER – I have been instructed by the men on Dillalah to contradict the report going the rounds to the effect that the wages on that station have been reduced to 13s. per week. I am glad to be able to say that the wages are not cut there, for they are low enough now, all will admit, I believe. The man who will spread a report like that without first finding out the truth of it is in my opinion a cowardly person, and as far as I can find out holds a high position and resides very near Dillalah – J. D. Smith

Ed. WORKER – I thought Queensland was in a bad way as regards a working man getting a living, but I find things a deal worse down here. The wages amongst farmers are very low, from eight shillings to one pound per week (the latter exceptional) and found: sixteen hours a day. The working men take very little interest in politics; they would not walk across a one-chain road to vote. I rouse on them and tell them it is good enough for them. No doubt when they do wake up they will make things hum. I will have to be re-christened and go west again for the next July fog – Gro. Tasker Rochester.

Ed. WORKER – Re your “Middleman” cartoon of the 12^th inst. Emile Souvestre, a French author, also draws him (the middle man) very faithfully in the following words (I translate closely); “. . . one of those merchants to whom they have given the name naturalist,because they have put all creation under glass (cases) to sell by retail. . . . . In truth, this man had a special ability to profit by the labour of others. He was incapable of doing anything himself. His words were a net in which people were caught before they knew it. For the remainder, friend of himself alone, regarding the producer as an enemy, and the buyer as his conquest, he exploited both with that inflexible persistence which avarice teachers.” - The Cad.

Ed. WORKER – The police-magistrate in Cairns refused to allow persons 21 years of age to have their names on the electoral roll. His reasons were that they had to be in the district six months after becoming of age. - E. H. Bulcock, Secretary Cairns P.P.A. [The qualification clause in the Elections Act states that every man of the age of 21 years shall be entitled to be entered on the roll of electors provided that at the time of making his claim he “is resident in the electoral district, and during the six months then next preceding has resided therein.” It does not say “every man must be 21 years and 6 months old” before being entitled to have his name placed on the roll. - Ed.]

Ed. WORKER – A great deal of surprise is manifested here at seeing the Pleystone Mill mentioned as being under the S. W. G. Act, as it was generally supposed to be run by a local syndicate on the same lines as Habana and Fairleigh and other estates. There has been no meeting of shareholders, nor election of directors, chairman or secretary, as was the case with other central mill companies in this district. It is evident there has been some influence at work in order to get this company registered under the above Act: perhaps this may account for the change of front of our junior member on the payment of members question. Almost the only vote he has given against the Government was for the Payment of Members Bill, but when he saw the Government was taking it to heart, like a good boy he climbed down and voted with his masters, and the Mercury ( of which he is part proprietor) excuses his action by stating that he was too conscientious to lost the Treasury for the sake of his own pocket. His troubles about the Treasury! If he does not get the bawbees in the shape of increased payment, he will get them in the shape of profits on the Pleystone Mill, as it is understood that he is chief engineer in this connection. Information on the above is wanted by – Onlooker, Mackay.

Ed. WORKER – In a recent issue of the WORKER a letter signed “Carrie Honey” advances the idea that we want propagandist lecturers on unionism, and suggests that instead of using the word “scab,” or one equally offensive, that all unionists drop its use altogether, and comments unkindly on a supposed larrikin calling a scab by it. Now if that writer had read up her subject before she wrote she would have found a convincing argument; re propagandist union lecturers in the fact that 95 per cent of the scabs in 1891 were at one time unionists – men who in 1891 worked every possible point they knew in the interests of unionism, many of them having been in positions, and about 30 per cent of them having been delegates at time of scabbing or at some time previous. In face of this to coolly tell us that we want men to lecture on the advantages of unionism to those men – men, she says, whose ignorance makes them what they are – argues, to put it mildly, that she has no experience of what she is writing about. Her next point re the word “scab” leaves only one conclusion – either she has had the word applied personally to herself or to some one that she takes a considerable interest in with reason, or she would not class it as an insult and speak slightingly of the larrikin who, thought he might be a gaol bird, respects the opinion of white men too much to be a scab. As for judging a unionist by his every day morals, as she says does, or his Sunday morals, for that matter, is on a par with the (to her) ignorance of scabs. The average Socialist passes everything to plump for the for the brotherhood of men. But the staunch unionist (what is left of him) means to build a hell for scabs and rats before he enters into brotherhood with the world generally. - John C., Aramac.

Ed. WORKER – I read in the Observer of last Saturday, the 26^th inst, of a number of workers being at the Gardens one day when an old gentleman passing by doled out two bob each to them, &c. Now this is very pretty reading before it is analysed. The said old gentleman told the gardener if he wanted any more “bobs” to come up to Government House to him for them. One of the chaps (workers, I suppose) said “Why, it is the old Guv'nor!” “Blow me if it isn't,” said another. Now, sir, the workers always use slang expressions and bad grammar when they address one another, at least to they are always represented by the capitalistic press. Their language is so inferior to their superiors, the Fat Men – Jack Annear and Mat Battersby to wit. And the Observer goes on to say the workers cheered for the generous Governor. Poor deluded fools. Any of these said workers, if in receipt of £3000 and perks per annum, wrung from the people's hard earnings, could afford to dole a few bobs now and again, but where the generosity comes in I for one can't see. After all they were only getting back their own. They say the Governor is a kind-hearted man, but I must say he has, in my opinion, a curious way of showing it. I take it for granted he is a good Christian and believes in the Bible. In that Book I read that “When thou givest charity let not thy right hand know what thy left giveth” - or something of that sort. I will swear it says nothing about pointing to Government Houses. “Charity,” thou covereth a multitude of sins at the present day. I do not know which is the worst, the man who gives or the man who receives. Away with Charity! The workers want none of it; they only want Justice and their rights. And if the Governor would help them to obtain a modicum of these it would be more honour and glory to him than to give all his wealth in charity. - Tasman.