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New Zealand Mail, Issue 1013, 31 July 1891, Page 11

The “unemployed” at Makohine (says ths Rangitikei Advocate of Friday last) were still on strike yesterday. They have, however, another grievance besides those mentioned already. It appears that they were first offered 15s per chain for road fotmation, but refused to accept it, and that the amount was gradually raised to 27s per chain, without a bargain being struck, it is now said that they will not go to work for less than 35s per chain. Another reason for their refusal to set to is their dislike of the overseer. They refuse, they say, to * work under a squarehead,’ whatever that may mean, and the crisis is likely to continue until the Resident En* gineer arrives on the scene. The London correspondent of the Sydney Mail has the following in his letter dated June sth: —There have been so many failures with the ships of the Australian Auxiliary Squadron in their preliminary trials that I look with grave anxiety upon the likelihood of their belner able to accomplish what is expected of them. And 1 am not alone in my opinion that the failure of this fleet to meet the requirements and hopes of the Australians may bring about some serious trouble between the colonies and the mother country. It is notorious that the ships are badly designed ; it is well known that one great shipbuilding firm refused to undertake the contracts for their construction for that very reason. Nevertheless the Admiralty persisted in carrying out their own ideas, with the result that never have there been bo many breakdowns as with the individual members of this squadron. The marvel is that some of the grievancemongers in Parliament have uot taken the matter in hand, but possjbly some day the Btate of the Australian Auxiliary Squadron may occupy a good deal of the attention of Parliament.