THE LIBOUR BUREAU WORKMEN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4181, 2 August 1892, Page 2

THE LIBOUR BUREAU WORKMEN.

Tiraumea Road Works. A Tale of Hardship, . One of the men sent to Tiraumea by the Labour Bureau has made the following statement to our representative, which will give some idea of the hardships and privations encountered by those who have placed themselves in the hands of this agency lam a married man, and was engaged at the Labour ■ Bureau in Christchurch to go to the Tiraumea to do road work, I arrived with others in Wellington on 30th June, at 11 o'clock. Mo time was lost. We went to the Labor Bureau and saw the officer in charge, Mr Mackay. We were told that we could not leave for onr destination that day,but he would give us an order to get beds and lood and we could leave by the 7,15 train next day for Eketahuna. We left Wellington on July Ist with an officer in charge, arriving at Eketahuna at one o'clock the same day. We were told that if the Engineer was here we should have to start at once for the Tiraumea, Mr Eainey, tho engineer, not turning up, we wore put up at hotels until Sunday, when a gentleman come who was to take charge of the gang. This" gentleman" was in a state of temporary excitement at the time, and was very obstructive. On Monday morning the officer who came up with us formally

HANDED US OVER to the man who was to take us out to tbe job. At one o'olock we started to walk out thirty-two miles to tho job. We were told that unless we went we would get no more food in Eketahuna. It was raining iti torrents all the time. A brake with stores aod swags went with us, but owing to the impassable state of the road the brake broke down and the stores, etc., had to be put down in the mud and rain for the night, while tho brake went back to Eketnhuna for repairs, Iu tho meantime some of the men pushed on to the Alfredton Hotel,where they got shake-downs for the night. On Tuesday, about three o'clock, tho Btores arrived at the Alfredton Hotel, Here it was found impossible to go any further with the brake, so arrangements wero made with Mr S. 11. George to lake us the rest of the way with his bullock dray, Accordingly, the stores and swags were removed from the brako to tbe bul-lock-dray and a start made on Wednesday morning at eight o'olock, Tho OFFICER IN CHARGE went on ahead. Everything went well until we got to the Tiraumea River, whioh was in flood', We negotiated the river with great difficulty, and some of the stores got damaged. From hero the road gradually became worse, and the driver refused to go any further that night. We had to DAMP ON THE BOAD, . We found an old hut, which somo of us slept in. On Thursday morning the driver prooured a horse and went to Mr Warren's homestead to look for tbe officer in charge, bb we had not seen him since leaving Alfredton. About two o'clock the driver and officer returned,.jpd„we wero then informed that he COULD DO NOTHING FOR US,

as the bnllook dray could go no further, The bullock-driver said he would put us upon the place if he was paid for it, and it would take him two dajs by going by an old track through Mr Warren's run. Ab nobody bad the money to pay him, and as he was paid to go by tho road, we had lo stop where we were, We then found out a Mr Poison, who had charge of the road works, He came over and had an interview with us, and said he could hare nothing to do with us, as he bad no instructions. We stated that as we could not get to the job we would work at clearing the Blips on the road for six shillings per day, Poison said he could not put us on, but would write to Wellington and see what could be dono. We WAITED A WHOLE WEEK and no answer came, We were cooking all our stores, and on the eighth day aMr Hurstbouse came up from Wellington and told us that as it was impossible to put us on the job, ten of us would have to go back and got work on the railway works at Eketa linna. Four of us had to remain jo clear slips. After sothe discussion it was decided that all of us should remain and work at the Blips until the stores wore gone. We accordingly started to work at sefen shillings per day, We had only two eight-by-ten tents between fourteen of us. The Government will prosecute anyone for crowding sheep or pigs into a steamer, but thoy thought nothing of putting fourteen men and their stores into two eight-by-ten tents, We

SENT A PETITION to the Hon. Mr Reoveß, asking for assistance, but received no answer. By this time all the stores were gone, and we were told that we could not get any more. We applied to Mr WarreD, but he could not supply us. That meant that we should either have to STARVE OR 00 AWAY, We left the oarop for Eketahuna oa July 81st, and God only knows what will become of us now.' It is five weeks since we left Chriatchurch, and we have only been able to work ten days. We have had to sign for every expense we have incurred. If the Government stop this from our wages we shall be in debt, instead of being able to send money to our families who are starving in Obristcburch. Had we stopped where we were we should have been a great deal better off,