Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1901. OUR PUBLIC WORKS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 28 November 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1901. OUR PUBLIC WORKS.

We were told some time ago that there was to be a tapering off of our public >, orks, and we expected that such was to take place, but we were not prepared for such a complete “pull up” as is apparently being made. An Auckland telegram to-day states that a telegram has been sent to the Minister of Public Works by Mr, Napier, M.H.8,, stating that there are eighty men now in Auckland who have been discharged from the Main Trunk construction works. That two hundred more men were to be similarly discharged last night, and that five hundred more men will follow ' them this week. From Gisborne comes a similar complaint. From the two localities it is estimated that 1000 men are thrown out of employment at a week’s notice. Our telegrams state that strong protests have been made. We are not surprised at such protests. In neither instance is the work completed, and the only conclusion that can be arrived at is that the money is running short. It is pretty certain that after ten years of spoon feeding it will be difficult to convince a good many of these workmen that they should look roufld and find other employment. They have been so long accustomed to the Government finding them work that many of them have lost self-reliance, and are incapable of looking for other employment. This result was bound to come, but it is evidently coming a little sooner than was expected.