The Board of Works in Ireland thought they should best meet the
views of the Government, by striking off twenty per cent. from the
number of persons employed in each district, but it was not the case
that the rule had been applied strictly and invariably on every public
work in Ireland; and as a proof that such was the case, he read the
following extract from a report which had been received from Captain
O'Brien, the inspecting officer for Clare, and which was dated the 20th
of March, inst.:--'As in some districts the numbers hitherto employed
are much less than in others, it would be unjust to strike off the same
percentage from all. I have, therefore, directed that the number in each
district shall be reduced to a certain proportion of the population, so
that at least twenty per cent, of the population will be reduced on the
whole.' With regard to the alleged promise of the Government that there
should be no dismissals from the public works until the new Relief Act
was in operation, Mr. Labouchere said 'he believed if the Government
had made any such statement, they would have acted very improperly. They
could not disguise from themselves the fact, that in most parts of
Ireland a great preference was shown for the public works over the new
relief system, and if her Majesty's Government had made such an
announcement as that attributed to them by the honourable gentleman, the
greatest delay would assuredly have taken place in bringing the new Act
into operation.
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