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Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 969, 4 September 1871, Page 2

The General Govern nent departments must have .peculiar ways of doing business —such a system as would find no place in any firm however ■■ large— and this has been brought under bur notice in a very forcible manner. The week before last a ."strike"- occurred among the printers employed by' the General Government. , The amount in dispute was only a nominal sum, for a Bhort period, but the Government thought fit to object, and the Government printer, Mr Didsbury, nas instructed to advertise for hands. Accordingly, an Advertisement appeared in the Wellington Independent, notifying the fact. A number of printers were put of employ in Hokitika, and by some means became acquainted with the circumstances as soon as the advertisement appeared. Accordingly, they telegraphed to Mr Didsbury, requesting to know if there Avaa ''anythingdishonorable" in accepting the terms offered by the Government, and were informed by him that there was "nothing dishonorable/

and an engagement was entered into by telegraph with them to go to Wellington in the first steamer leaving — the Rangitoto— as second-class passengers. That steamer was not, in consequence of tho bad state of the weather, tendered at Hokitika, and they were then informed to come on to Greyvnouth and charge the Government with the expense, and the Luna would convey them from this port to Wellington. The Luna, it will be remembered, with the Government printer on board, reached Cape Farewell, but, in consequence of the weather, had to put back to Nelson, from which place Mr Didsbury telegraphed to the printers that matters had been arranged, and that their services were not required, but they were to await further information from him from Wellington. They accordingly remained in Greymouth, but the hotel-keeper with whom they were staying not seeing any signs of repayment, either for the board with which he was supplying them, or for their conveyance from Hokitika, had an interview with Mr Paymaster Andrews, who, inconsequence, telegraphed to the Hon. Julius Yogel on I the mutter, anA received instructions to j the effect that the services of the printers were not required, and to pay expenses of board, and conveyance from and back to Hokitika This was done; acting on his instructions Mr Andrews paid the hotelkeeper's bill, amounting to nearly £25, and two out of the five returned back on -Sa+urday to Hokitika, but three others demurred to this mode of proceedure ; they knew -nothing about the Hon. Julius Yogel in the affair, and accordingly more telegraphing was the result, and the printer, who conducted the operations on behalf of his companions, received a reply from Mr Didsbury to proceed in the Murray ; that vessel had sailed in the meanwhile, and three of them went away in the Charles Edward on Saturday night, and so the matter rests at present, but there are one or two other little circumstances in. connection with this funny affair we are not at liberty to mention at present, but if this is a specimen of the manner in which the country's money is frittered away, the sooner the Government nre called to account the better.