The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-05-11 00:00:00

SAtIMAYII,

Bingo the proparatlon of last month's summary no
furthor Item have boon taken with mini to tho Garry.
log out of our long•talkod.ot national railway whom,
Tim poriod for rewiring tenders has bean frequently
extended, the list day on whioh thtay oan be put in
having Just boon poeponed, for about the fourth time,
front the lath to Oho 94th Mot,
AORICULTURN.

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Our grain harvest Is now quite over, and a fair Mi.
mete con be formed of the general nature of the orops.
When the statistical returns for the year are collected,
those will probably prove to be about an average In
regard to the yield per Nor', and a very greet increase on
the total quantity hitherto grown. Much more land has
bean under cultivation, and it was ',mooted in the latter
part of spring that the yield would be unusually large.
Importations of stock still continue. We have lately
rewired some valuable thoroughbred horses, cattle, and
sheep, both of the ooarse and fine woolled varieties.
One lot of the latter is especially deserving of notice ;
these were Saxon ram, upwards of 70 in number, from
the celebrated floe(' of Mr. A. Steiger', and mostly lee'
ported to order. Some of those imported for bale were
disposed of readily at 2100 each.
LABOUR.

Harvest was seemly over when the ranks of the un-
employed began to swell. Tired of seeking employment
through the conntry in vain, labourers of all kinds are
now congregated in the towns, awaiting the oommence-
mint of public works, or any chance jobs which may
. arise. The demand of late haa been very trifling, and
there is, doubtless, much destitution and suferini

among these men. Many are unable to provide them.
selves with beds, sleeping out in the parks and other
places in and around the towns their supply of food
being also most probably uncertain and insufficient,
This is a sad state of things to have to record in • young
country where so much has to be done, and at a time of
year when all should be busy; but it is the truth, and
we had better acknowledge our mismanagenient to the
world than hold out false inducements to those at a dier-
tenon Many causes have tended to bring about thie
temporary superabundance of labour, which cannot long
exist. The unsettled state of the land qtestion and the
unsatisfactory nature of the laws and regulations hitherto
in force for the conduct of mining operations in the
gold-fields have prevented much capital from being in-
vested in the employment of labour, which would other.
wise have found vent in these directions. This with-
holding of capital from its proper function, and the in-
creasing inability of working men to earn their living
without its assistance, have driven too Many into a de-
pendence on Government employment, and this at
)times falls short of their requirements. The public
works for the current year have scarcely been com-
menced yet, but preparations for their commencement
are being hurried on, now that the estimates are passed,
and contracts will almost immediately be entered into
in sufficient number to relieve the labour market. It
was feared that the utmost foresight and precaution
would be required to prevent a dearth of employment
next winter, but the late news from England leads
to a hope that money may be obtained before long for
the construction of our national railways, in which case
labour will again be at a premium, and continue so as
long as the expenditure lasts. Before any great portion
of the railways can be completed the public lands must
be thrown open more freely for settlement; so that this
difficulty once removed, by the actual commencement of
these long-looked-for railway works, we trust it may be
long before we again see the recurrence of a dearth of
employment.
The absolute necesaity of providing an artificial supply
of water for summer use in the gold fields is now be-
coming generally apparent to the miners, and steps are
being taken for the formation of reservoirs and the
cutting of canals. Works of this nature may be profit-
ably carried out to a very great extent under suitable
regulations, and will not only afford employment during
their construction, but Will also render the occupation of
gold mining more certain and constant, and allow of a
much larger proportion of hired labour being employed
in this pursuit through the year. In no way can either
capital or labour be expended so an to insure a more cer-
tam and durable return; this truth, although long in
forcing itself on general attention, is now acknowledged,
and will be the means of affording a large amount of
employment.
Although the actual state of the labonr market here is
a most unsatisfactory one at present, our prospects are
brighter than they have been for a long time past, but
it must be remembered that these are only so from the
probability of money being obtained from England for
the construction of our railways. Until final arrange-
ments are made for the negotiation of the required loan,
we cannot advise the wors.ing classes to dock hither-
ward in any numbers, but as soon as it is ascertained
that the railway works are to be commenced on the scale
intended, and with a certainty of their continuance,
this may again be looked upon as the working man's
paradise, where steady work at his ordinary calling
awaits him, with a rate of remuneration for his services
that will enable him after a very few years either to be-
some a master himself, if he have • trade, or else •
settler on his own land, if accustomed to, or desirous of
following rural pursuits.