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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 9265, 27 April 1892, Page 2

GOVERNMENT RELIEF WORKS. Testimony against the system of Gov. ernnient contracts as devised by Mr Soihlou is accumulating fast), and the coantry will apparently bare to pay heavily for this Ministerial "fad." It was a benevolent fad, Mr Seddon argaed that contractors made large profits oat of Government works— a most questionable assumption— and urged that these large pioGtß could only be made out of the sweat of their workmen's brows. He would, therefore, abolish the bloated middleman, and give the contracts to the sweated ones. The plan adopted was to fix a price for a certain work, and let gangs of men go on it. Somo gangs would be experienced navvies, others Comparatively incapable. But each, aocoiding to Mr Seddon, would get what he oarned. How the pricfl of the work was fixed was never explained. If the country really got valne for the money paid, there was much to commend in Mr Seddon's scheme. Thai itj the doubtful point. Tho Paaiatua paper says that while the Government are providing the blasting powder and are paying one shilling and sixpence a yard for road excavation work near Pahiatua to the "unemployed," there are settlers in the district) who would gladly accept contracts at ninepence a yard and find their own powder. The Auckland correspondent of the Otogo Daily Times recently visited the co-opera-tive works on the KamoHikuraugl railway extension. The " unemployed " there recently struck' for higher rutes of pay — and got an increase. They aie now, says our authority, in a more amiable mood, lie continues, "They are found in tents, tools, trucks, &c, awl it is nob t3 be wondered at that the settlers state that an experienced contractor with trained navvies oould make a splendid profit at the rate the works are coating. The gangers, I am informed by settlers, have praotically no control over the men, who, with their dhudeens in their cheeks, dig and shovel about 'promiscuously,' lightening their toil by the discussion of the Liberal programme and Liberal principles. In some of the gangs there are a few good men who understand railway work, and they get restive at working alongside, it may be, duffers and drones. One party of steady skilled navvies have earned as high as 10a 7d 0 day, while other men of the ' born tired ' or unskilled class have got down as low as !2s, and want the tariff raised to enable them to carry away a decent wage. One railway coHtractor who had a look at the works said there were about 30 men 011 the job be would be inclined to employ and the rest he would not give standing room. It is found that the initiation of the works bos not brought new b'ood into the district, but simply drawn men from the ordinary avennea of lifo in which they were employed, a good many belonging to that Bohemian class, the noble gumdigger. They will be just as far forward, socially, at the end of tho job as at the beginning, and it is no wonder, therefore, that an agitation is being got up to cany the line four miles farther on to the foot of the Puhipuhi spurs, so as to tap the kanrl forest there." This is on all-fours with accounts received from nearly every part of the colony, The prices offered are such as to attract good labor from private employment, while the loafing element got far nioro than their worth.