THE SYDNEY EXHIBITION. THE LATE STRIKE.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 513, 19 May 1879, Page 2

THE SYDNEY EXHIBITION. THE LATE STRIKE.

The correspondent of the Argus writes:— The carpenters' strike at the Exhibition has entirely subsided, and now that tbe men have been beaten, the Carpenters' Society have disowned and condemned it. Whether it would have done the same in case of success can only be conjectured. Short-lived, however, as the excitement was, it has had some definite results. It has forced upon Mr. Youog-ifmere rigid investigation of the work done, and remaining to be done, one consequence of which is that he has dismissed about 80 of the nvost useless employes. In the first hurry, and - under a sense of great emergency, nearly every one who choose to call himself a tradesman was taken on. But the work has by no means progressed in proportion to the number of bands. A wholesome weeding out will be not only an economy of funds,- but very possibly a saving of time. Another result of the investigation is that the Government, aroused to the contemplation of the weekly pay-sheet, is seriously considering the possibility of doing without the towers and some of the ornamentation. It is thought that in this way something like £10 000 might be saved. It must be remembered that the Government has beon somewhat unwillingly dragged into the scheme, and is perpetually kicking at the outlay. It already looks as if Parliament would have to be asked for a third £50,000, for no provision has yet been made tor the detached buildings, for machinery! live stock, and refreshments. Mr. Barnet has estimated the cost of these at the enormous sum of £50,000, and seems resolved this time not to b3 open to the imputation of having undercalculated the expense. As there is no timo to sp&r«, the commission is urgent tO make a beginning with thesa buildings, but the Government is hesitating about committing itself to the outlay.