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Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2429, 4 February 1888, Page 2

For gome time back there have been expressions of dissatisfaction at the thoughtless and indiscriminate manner in i which "unemployed men have been permitted to proceed by means of free passes to the railway works in the King Country in search of employment. Men have been constantly coming into the country led away by false hopes and tempted by the unjustifiable inducement offered them by the authorities to make the journey thither by rail on a free ticket. They reach their destination at Waiteti or tramp on from there to the Tunnel at l'oro*o-tor;H). to find, not work, but bitter disappointment ; there is no demand for labour at the works at either of those places. On the contrary, the contractors have been for several weeks past reducing the number of their workmen. These unfortunate unemployed, many of whom are physically unfit for hard navvying, do not posses a shilling to their name ; they hang about depending on the charity of their fellows who are settled in the localities, or wander amongst the natives. The more energetic amongst them shoulder their swap's and walk back along the line to the Waikato in the expectation of finding work amongst the farmers or local contractors. The King Country is replete with these unlucky fellows, and frequently of late we have come across several of them tramping along the Waikato roads. Only yesterday we met two able bodied men 'in this penniless plight, who had walked back from a vain search for work at the tunnel, whore they say men are being discharged instead of being wanted. It may be a good thing for the city authorities to lid themselves of the "unemployed nuisance" by turning them loose upon the country in this easy fashion. But it is a course open to serious objections and by no means just to the poor people themselves ; indeed it is culpable cruelty to turn them adrift without a penny in their' pockets at so great a distance, and when it must be known to the authorities that no demand for them exists. If this free pass system hus not been discontinued, it is high time it was, if for no other reason than its dishonesty ; and, moreover it would be but right and honourable to allow the men to return to Auckland on their free tickets, instead of having them tramping the country districts without hope and tempted to commit crime out of sheer desperation.