LABOUR. 293 



given a fair chance, by industry, application and skill, to 

 better his position — will have to begin by having justice 

 done to himself and his family in the securing to them of a 

 free home — a free home in which he will be absolute master, 

 in which his children may grow up with a sense that it is 

 " home," which will remain theirs. There should be some 

 land with it, on which our man may expend his energy and 

 affection, such as Providence has endowed ever}^ one of us 

 with, on which to teach his children their first lessons in 

 husbandry, so as to rivet their affections to rural conditions 

 and rural surroundings, instead of leaving them by the 

 contemplation of his own hard lot to yearn for other employ- 

 ment ; and in which he may train them up to be useful 

 all-round workers, with a love for their work. This is the 

 " Rhodus," where the decisive first leap will have to be 

 taken. One little speck of freedom will make of a peon a 

 man capable of becoming fully free in course of time, 

 of contracting equitably for his labour. 



What are the conditions now ? The dwelling goes with 

 the employment. It is given in part remuneration of the 

 employment. People may contend that it is given, as a 

 matter of kindness, not to say charity, below cost price. 

 That is bunkum. If the house is given below fair market 

 price, so is the labour. There is a per contra account, in 

 which the balance is not invariably held fairly. But the 

 main point is, that the occupation of a dwelling is inseparably 

 linked to the employment. Even so, there are far too few 

 dwellings. Even so, many a willing man finds the greatest 

 difficulty in securing the mere apology for a decent home, 

 even at the price of abject surrender. He would gladly 

 remain on the land, he is anxious to labour there and to 

 make the land produce the Nation's food. But there are 

 no houses. There are not even in every case occupants 

 of houses who will take our man in as an overcrowded lodger, 

 without sufficient elbow room. If he is fortunate enough 

 to secure a dwelling, his occupation of it is at the pleasure 

 of his employer, who is employer and landlord in one. Sup- 

 posing that any difftculty arises in his employment, out he 

 must go, without the power of appeal. If that is not a 



