on the 20th of March, the day on which twenty per cent—­146,000 individuals—­of those who were employed on the public works were dismissed.  On introducing that Act in Parliament, both the Prime Minister and the Irish Secretary promised that employment on the public works should be continued until the new system of relief would be in full operation, whilst this report tells us that on the 15th of May, a full fortnight after all public works had been stopped, out of 2,049 electoral divisions only 1,248 were under the operation of the Act.  Besides, “under the operation of the Act” is itself a doubtful phrase:  How long were they under it?  How far was their machinery complete and efficient?  Did the Act, to the full extent, supply the place of the public works, where it had come into operation?  These are questions to which we have no answers from the Commissioners.  On the 23rd of March, three days after the twenty per cent were dismissed, a Dublin newspaper said, with regard to the new Relief Act:—­“It is not in operation in any district of Ireland.  Even in Dublin—­the head quarters of the Relief Commissioners—­the residence of the official printer—­the requisite forms for arranging the preliminaries could not be supplied to the relief committees yesterday, they not having been as yet printed."[261]

On the 25th of March, some of the Irish members appealed, in the House of Commons, to the Irish Secretary not to allow the labourers on the public works to be dismissed until provision could be made for their support under the new Act.  It was understood by both sides of the House, Mr. Smith O’Brien said, that the Government had given instructions against any dismissals taking place until other means had been provided to enable the people to procure subsistence.  Unless this were done, he said, the greatest confusion must follow the putting in force of the order for dismissing persons from the public works, which was to come into operation on the 20th inst.  Seven weeks had elapsed since the temporary relief bill had become law, and he could not conceive why relief committees had not been constituted.  Mr. Labouchere said in reply that the greatest caution was necessary in removing the labourers from the works, and that although twenty per cent. of them were ordered to be struck off on the 20th instant, that did not mean that twenty per cent. of the people employed in every district on public works should be dismissed, but that in the aggregate twenty per cent. of those employed should be put off, leaving to the Irish Government to decide upon the proportion to be removed from each district.  It would be necessary and proper to make a general reduction, but the Irish Government was left to the exercise of its discretion in making the several reductions by districts, as the executive in Ireland could best decide where it might be dangerous or improper to make any change, and where a change might be made with propriety and safety.