The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-06-07 00:00:00

working men—had been all roused up to an un-
wonted earnestness in the. matter of their chil-
dren's education. Among various other illustra-
tions of this laudable parental anxiety I notice a pro-
vision on the Government railway whereby children
are brought at a nominal charge to the town school.
Of course each village has its parish school, as we
should call it in England, but at the leading cities
there are " high " schools or colleges, and to enable
parents to avail themselves of them quarterly tickets
are granted, whereby for, I think it is ten shillings, a
boy or girl can have a daily ride to and from school.
At the Nelson Station, for instance, you will see a
whole troop of lads rush out of the morning train,
many of whom live twenty miles off in some bush
farm. As regards the " English Agri-
cultural Labourer in New Zealand," his future is
tolerably clear. His children will be the future
yeomanry of the country. Nothing can keep him from
this destiny if he remains only true to himself. His
large earnings will supply him with the means of
either purchasing or hiring the land, and the disincli-
nation of the children of old settlers to continue on
their father's homesteads will supply him with the
opportunity. Nor need England repine at this even-
tuality, for each successful New Zealand farmer
speedily becomes a valuable customer of the English
merchant and manufacturer. On board the steamer
which brought me out there were several prosperous
colonists who had laid out thousands of pounds in
British manufactures. Several of those men were
labourers or village mechanics twenty years ago. .

I conclude with an illustration as the right
sort of man may do here. Fourteen months ago an
English agricultural labourer arrived in New Zealand
with scarcely a shilling in his pocket. He was a handy
sort of fellow, and took the first work that came to
hand—some fencing. Since then he has done all kinds
of farm work, principally by contract, and to•day he
has over one hundred pounds in the bank. If the
hard pressed home-toilers hear not what such a fact
as this proclaims there is nothing for them hut to take
whatever their employers see fit to give. No one can
blame an employer, be he farmer or manufacturer,
for not giving more for his labour than he can help,
and instead of useless kickings against the pricks, let
all who think they are worth more than they are
getting for their services, place themselves at once in
communication with Sir Julius Vogel, and bring their
wares to his market. And as regards the employers, I
should advise them, instead of battling with their work.
men for a margin of profit on their high-rented farms,
to bring their capital to New Zealand, and on their
own freeholds taste the sweets of independence, and
reveal to the New Zealanders the wealth which now
lies buried for want of adequate culture. With English
"capital and labour" I see no limits to the prosperity
of this really splendid colony, and in the prosperity of
her offspring the mother country worad find her surest
guarantee as to her own.