*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.
_________
The
WORKER does not hold itself responsible for the opinions of its
correspondents.
_________
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.
__________
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 2nd
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.
