THE MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11823, 28 November 1901, Page 5

THE MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY.

THE DISCHARGE OP THE MEN. Two men. who have been employed for some considerable time on the railway •works near Ongaruhe, M. McLaughlin and M. Mcurath, called at the Herald Office yesterday in consequence of statements that have been made about the discharges. They contradict emphatically what has been said by Ministers on the subject. They are very indignant as to a statement by slr. Hall-Jones about men having been discharged because they drank to excess, arid' because they connived at and aided the liquor traffic. Our informants are both in charge of gangs of men, each gang consisting of six or eight. In each of these gangs, they say* are men who would not fetich spirits or beer On any consideration, and not one man has ever lost an hour oil account of drink. And yet they have been aL'i sent away. The men complain bitterly that now they are in Auckland, and looking for work, they are met by the statement, "Oh, you have been discharged for drunkenness." They think that very hard indeed. They say that liquor can be obtained as freely at "the" works in the King Country as in Auckland. As to the extent of the discharges, about 100 men came down with them on Tuesday, and a number have been knocked off on different days. There were about 500 men employed at. this end of the line, and nearly all have been discharged, or are under notice. According to our informants the work at the north end of the line may be said to be practically stooped. hey and their -mates were discharged on th" Wednesday, they did not get paid till the Saturday, and they had to wait till the following Tuesday to get a train to bring them to Auckland. All the teams have been knocked off, and it would take some time and expense to -set the wbrkn going again. Mr. Hall-Jones said that men had been discharged Where cuttings were finished, but the fact was that none of the cuttings had been finished. It had been stated also that the work had to be curtailed because the Oiigarub; bridge had to be finished, but the' 9 rails have been laid across the bridge, and the delay was on account of the cuttings from' which the men have been taken. Mr. W. J. Napier, M.H.R., despatched the lollowing telegram to the Minister for Public Works yesterday evening :—" Hon. W. Hall-Jones, Wellington.— discharged men arrived here yesterday from Ongaruhf and vicinity. Air informed 200 more to lb* dismissed this everting, and that all navvies and carters and ether hands, nearly 500, excep*. culvert men and bridge men,* are to be dismissed this week. Men inform me that engineer announced at Ongaruhe that ali work is to be stopped north end of Main Trunk on 30th inst. Is this information credible? li so, what does it mean? lb is quite inconsistent with statement in your telegram to me.— J. NAPIER."