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England's Worst Employment | 'Problem is in Lancashire ditor the Stratford Beacon Herald , Lancashire, July 12.--It my desire to enter the rea of Wales, but accord- e program for today the 'was to lead us to Carnar- von in North Wales, and there are no mining areas there. "For that reason I was about in Jearly hous seeking the train tor Wigan, in Lancashire. Leaving . Chester there are a number of large cities in a small area. Wigan, a place of about 90,000, being reached by changing at Warring- ton. You do not go in search of collieries at Wigan, for they are all about the place. Nor is it neces- sary to search for men out of work. Unfortunately they, like the mines, are also all about. it was in Wigan that 1 saw the dole line-up in great degree. It is to be seen in Chester and many other places, but nothing to be compared . to Wigan. For some time this afternoon I stood in a building two floors of which are occupied by the offices, and two floors of which were filled with streams of men coming and going. This starts at nine in the morning and keeps up until five in the af- _ ternoon, for this was pay-day for those entitled to the benefits. The Women's Office From there I went several blocks off to the office where the women report and receive their allowance. It was all new and very strange, and indéed a revelation of the problem that must be facing the British Government today In seek- ing to deal with unemployment, It was possible to understand what Hon. J. H. Thomas, who 18 shortly to visit Canada, told me in London one morning, that no mat- ter what scheme they tried there was between eight and nine hun- dred thousand people in Britain who were doomed as far as profit- able employment was concerned. With some of the causes, as they were explained to me. I may deal later. on, but for the moment in- terest centres in these people and the strange and trying times through which. they have been passing for about five years now, with nothing much better ahead as far as they or any other person can see. Clogs Are Worn There must have been a dozen or #80 lines on the floor upstairs where I went to inquire for the man in charge. Ninety per cent of them, I should say, wore clogs, a form of footwear which I had never seen before. The soles are of wood, with an iron-shod heel and sole, with a row of brass-headed nails all around just above the sole. I 'was so interested in these clogs and the noise they make on the flag- stones and pavements that I secur- . ed a small pair, Whether the cus- toms man will charge me duty on them I do not know. The cost was "two and six" or exactly 60 cents, and when a group of school chil- dren start down the street at noon it sounds exactly like a troop of mounted troops coming along. . A Real Problem All the men in these lines look- ed as though they were capable of hard work. Some of them had two or three days in thé mines, and were yet qualified to secure some . payment for the day they had not worked. Many seemed in a hurry to be away; others were inclined to stand around a bit and talk about it. Let's select one of the many with whom I talked here. "I haven't worked over a month in the year. Things are bad and they do not improve. It was not always like this.. Wigan used to be a busy place. It's bad for the young people who are coming on. Take my lad. He's gone on past eighteen and he's never done a day's work yet, although he quit his schooling when he was 14. He get's nothing of the dole because he has never worked and'"got his stamps (the stamps meaning that the person has worked and paid in- to the fund and is therefore enti- tled to draw from it). I have an- othér girl just coming seventeen and she has never worked either, s0 they get nothing, and there is no place for them to work. Before the war the boy would have gone to the pits and the girl to the mills, but there's nothing for them to do, and it's hard enough trying to feed them and keep them in some sort of clothing." Not Much Left Another man who assured me he had not had a steady job in years told me that he had 20 shil- lings as an allowance, was inclined to figure in terms of how much he |. would have left to buy food. He did not speak of clothing. "My rent takes five shillings per week, and then the rates take an- ther two shillings. ("rates" mean the levy made by the city for sucu services ag the city supplies in the way if light, water, etc.) "So there are seven shillings gone before we start to buy a thing for the table." That left 13 shillings, and that means about $3.25 to buy food and clothing for the family. In this case the wife used to work in the cotton mills, and was still able to draw a little from the dole as well, but I am told this was an unusual case. Between them they had about $6 per week to keep them- selves and two children, and this was a fairly fortunate condition. Others get less. How do they do it? I can't quite figure it out. In order to appreci- ate the problem of, keeping body and soul hitched together one has to push to one side the Canadian standard of living entirely. Women Come and Go Coming out of that office, and turning to a little street that was neither lovely nor attractive, I saw a woman who looked as though she were at least seventy entering one of the little dwellings carrying on her back a'great sack of coal screenings, which she had gone to one of the dumps near a mine and picked up. That seemed to supply part gf the answer to the ques- tion, how do they do it. Over at the office where the wo- men report and where they gather on pay-day, there was an interest- ing picture. Modern styles strug- gled hard here with native cos- tume, and pride battled with traces of poverty and undernourishment which could not be veiled. Stand here a moment, just at the head of the stairs where they come and go. Here is a woman of about 30. She wears clogs, a clean apron covering any raggedness of her skirt. Around her head is drawn the shawl worn by so many of the wives of colliery men. A rather sweet and patient face, one of those bodies which would make the last half-penny count'in making things spread out. There may have been hope and ambition in her face once, but there was none today. She went. in and came out just like one going through an empty gesture. I wouldn't call it despair, but rather grim determination. More Modern Next in line are two girls. They have forsaken clogs and wear black patent slippers, but with cotton stockings. They are neatly dress- ed. "One carries a neat shopping bag of small size and wears a rain coat, for it' is' drizzling just now. The second girl appears about sim- ilarly dressed, but looks some years younger, office, but stood quite close where I happened to be. to Asking questions has become a' habit, so I asked this girl how it was that she did not go in for her allowance. Her reply was that she had never worked so could get no- thing. Like many others she had quit school at 14. Now she 18 17. and has never had a day's work in the mills yet. A stranger standing near tells me that some of the girls here are inclined to 'put it all on their She does not go into the Satisfaction but we TEST. No rooms ones. The oitiaiy may have happened, ave never heard of a case in which a home-owner was disappointed after insulating his house with TEN/ "hard to heat' are found in an insulated house--the north side is as warm as the south, and the upstairs rooms are as comfortable as the lower Insulation is generally conceded to be one of the most important factors in building to-day. Perfect insulation may be secured by using TEN/TEST. shawa Lumber COMPANY, LIMITED 25 Ritson Road North TELEPHONE 2821.2820 'changing mood. they had no. control. _THE, OSHAWA DAILY TIMES, MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1929 AGINCOURT FARMERS Following the recent hail storm in the Agincourt district, a depu- tation headed by David Moscow waited upon the Scarboro township officials and later the provincial department of agriculture asking for assistance. The hail threshed & ASK THE AUTHORITIES and'beat into the ground the grain crops, forcing W. J. Forbes (8) 70-year-old farmer, to cut what remained of his crop with a scythe and tie the grain by hand as shown in' (2). John Hartyk (4) also suf- fered severe losses and accom- TO PROVI DE RELIEF panied Moscow whose home of re- cent construction is shown in. (5), to seek government relief. Both Moscow and Hartyk are Ukrain- ians, the former a resident of Can- ada for the past 21 years. Both are market gardeners, backs. Those two girls you just saw come from homes where the mothers wear clogs, but 'they must have their slippers and - coats." This informant seemed to think that was quite the height of fash- fon that a girl should have a coat and slippers instead of clogs and a shawl. Money Well Placed It is easy to see that in many places suffering has been intense in many of these coal areas. 1 was glad that the people at-home haa responded so well to the appeal made some time ago for the relief of miners in distressed areas. Af- ter getting just one days' glimpse of conditions here I am certain that the money was well placed. Yet there is a great spirit among these people. Children in many cases are not what we could possibly call well dressed. Some of the cloth- ing bears unmistakable evidence of abject poverty, In the homes there is the ever-present problem of making a shilling do what we could not accomplish with a dollar. I can't see any bright future for them, and yet they face the situa- tion with a patience that is re- markable. What's The Matter; Now, what's caused it? I can only repeat what I hear, but I sought out the best sources of in- formation. Lancashire is a coiion and coal district. It has about 500,000 people depending on, tex- tiles and some 200,000 miners. Thousands are out of work and have been for months that have spun their length into years. More thousands are working part time. Take cotton first. For years England has been selling cotton making machinery to the world, and India, great consumer of Eng- lish cotton goods in years gone by, is making her own cotton, That's Just one. Other countries are do- ing the same. Low wages in India have , forced English cotton out, Then there is the silk and artifi- cial silk industry that has cut deep- ly into cotton consumption, There's not a market for the great quanti- ties of cotton goods which Lanca- shire alone is able to turn out, Hence the mills are closed or run- ning slow. Again. Following the®™war, Lon- don financiers handled a good many of the existing mills, They bought original pound stock as high as 13 pounds per share. Then the company, wag reorganized and capitalized away too high, and it is not possible to show a profit now against this foolishly high figure. From what I hear some of these concerns are going to have the wa- ter squeezed out of the stock, ana present shareholders stand to face a very heavy loss, The Coal Trade Some of the Lancashire coal pits are worked out. That is the case around Wigan. The properties have caved ' In and are covered with small lakes. England used to sell a tremendous tonnage of coal to France, but as part of the repara- | tions. arrangement France gets her |. coal from the Ruhr 'valley. I could well understand what this meant, for only a few weeks ago I had seen loads of this coal entering France. So it France gets her coal from Germany, English pits are shut out of that market, and provides more remarkable evidence of the price Britain is paying, for having won the war, Then, too, the merchant marine, the navy and the liners uged to take a great deal of coal. "rnat market hag largely gone, and the oil burner has come to take the place of coal. So there you have basic reasons for the depression in Lancashire. Two great primary Industries, coal and cotton, badly battered down, with tens of thou- sands out of work. Yes, that shuffling and clacking of clogs upon the stone floors of the dole office is a picture that will be hard to. efface. These people know no other line of work, and there is nothing to which they can turn'their hand. They are net the captains of industry who can plan new industries to meet the world's They are the vic- tims of circumstances over which As one walks through Wigan, a city rich in his- toric romance, he sees idle men at 'the corners and along the streets; they stand in little groups in front of their houses. They have noth- ing to do; they have been in that same state for months, and people here are frank in admitting that they see' no blut sky breaking through vet, : 60 ATTEND BARN RAISING AT ZION Mr. Pierce Erects Fine Build- ing to Replace One Burned In Electric Storm Zion. Aug. 16--~A splendid barn was raised on Wednesday after noon by about 60 men from surrounding country. The contractor, Mr, Pro- vost of North Oshawa had things in readiness and the beams soon went up under the leadership of Norman Leach, altho' rain fell at intervals. The ladies, about 30 in number, also attended as well as chidren and Miss McGlishen took pictures, with her moving picture camera, of the men as they carried large timbers, Sup- per was served on the lawn. Mr. Pierce's former barn © was burned by lightening.: This one is somewhat narrower, but will be a fine building. Foster Snowden has sold his farm and gone to Oshawa to reside. Mrs. Blake Oke, Ebenezer, visited her cousin, Mrs. Elmer Wilbur on Thursday. Mrs. James Sulley is under the | doctor's care with blood poisoning. Mrs, Herbert Flintoff is also under the doctor's care. Mrs. Hardwick, her daughter, is waiting on her, Hy Curtis and daughter, Miss Mil- dred of Warkworth, spent Tuesday at J. W. Balson, Anson Balson returned home with them to trim sheep, and get ready for the fairs. Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Glaspel took a motor trip up through western On- tario and called at Guelph and some other places on Tuesday, Mr. and Mrs. W. W, Glaspel, Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Glaspel and family, Mr, and 'Mrs, F. Bert Glaspel and family spent Sunday afternoon at Musselman's Lake, HOMESICK O how can I be homesick for land I've never seen, And long for English countrysides where I have never been, And yet it's true and with each year my longing deeper grows, To see the English cottages green hedgerows. and And why should I be fretting to see the quaint old towns, And aching to be on the tramp across the English downs? O England calls her children home from all the seven seas-- Her voice across the world is borne on salt sea brecze. ~Verna Loveday Harden. FATALENDTOCRASH AT STRATFORD Mrs, Leslie Dunseith in Crit- ical Condition-- James Verner on Bail. Stratford Aug. 19.--Little hope was held last night for the recov- ery of ' Mrs. Leslie Dunseith, of Downie township, who is in the General hospital here with terrible injuries as the result of a motor crash just beyond the city limits on Erie street. Her husband, promin- ent Downie farmer, is also in 8 critical condition, and Robert Me- Ilroy, 15, is also in the hospital, although not so seriously injured. The Dunuseith car was just ap- proaching the city limits when an- other machine, driven by James Verner this city erashed into the rear of it. The Dunseith machine was catapulted into the ditch and overturned three or four times. The car was reduced to scrap. The two Dunseith children Dorothy & and Isabel 5, were riding in the rear seat, but rescuers pulled them out of the wreckage unscathed. Verner was placed under arrest by provincial officers here and he was released on $10,000 bail. He will appear this morning on a charge of criminal negligence, ale though he will probably be charg- ed with manslaughter, police state, it any of the victims die. fter the crash, Verner's car trav- elled 120 feet along the highway and then crashed into a telephone pole. The front of his machine was caved in, but he escaped in- jury. Two men passengers in the car also escaped. Mrs. Dunseith is believed to be suffering from a fractured spine in addition to terrible chest injuries. She may also have af ractured skull. Her husband also is suffer- ing from terrible injuries to the head. 43 EXCURSIONISTS INJURED IN WRECK Five Coaches of Ohio Holi- day Train Are Derailed Columbus, O., Aug. 19.--Forty- three pasSengers on crowded Penn- sylvania railroad train No. 614 en route from Cleveland to Columbus, were injured, some .of them seri. ously, at 11.20 yesterday morning when five of the 12 coaches were derailed a few miles from Condit, in Delaware county. A relief train from Columbus (FY) EDISON MAZDA FR So FR os TED J LAMDS ACANADIAN GENERAL ELECTRIC PRODUCY 1-09 Simcoe St. North FOR SALE BY THE BOWRA ELECTRIC SHOP. Oshawa, Ont. took doctors and nurses to the wreck. They administered first aid to the victims. The three most seriously injured were taken in ambulances and private aitomo- biles: to Mount Vernon, Ohio. Other injured were taken to Columbus on the relief train along with un- injured passengers of the derailed train. Investigation failed to disclose the cause of the accident, but a split rail wag believed responsible. The train consisted of two engines, 10 day coaches and two parlor cars. Most of the 600 passengers were excursionists from Cleveland and northern Ohio who had plan- ned to spend the day in Columbus and return in the evening. The bride may not know much about the other details of housekeep- ing, but she's usually a canny cook.-- Arkansas Gazette, When the meek do get to inherit the earth, it appears now as though their great problem would still be the truck driver--Minneapolis Journal. HOW ABOUT A TRIP TO THE WEST THIS SUMMER A region which can offer the fin- est in natural beauty is the one which means a direct appeal to the vacationist. If that region has good hotel accommodation and every fa- cility for vacation enjoyment, the greater the appeal. For the person taking an August or September vacation, no 'better choice could be made than 'Banff and Lake Louise in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. There you can enjoy the finest of golf, tennis, horseback riding, mountain climp- ing--and afterwards a dip in the warm pools. Banff Springs Hotel or Chateau Lake Louise are well equipped to make your stopover there most en- joyable. Special Summer Tourist fares are available until Sept. 30, final re- turn limit, October 31. Nearest Canadian Pacific agent will be glad to furnish literature and full information. Do ! LUMBER F.L. BEECROFT Whitby Lumber and Wood Yard. Phone Oshawa 234 Whitby 12 HARDWOOD FLOORS LAD BY' EXPERT MECHANICS Old floors finished like new Storm windows, combination doors. General Contractors B. W. HAYNES 161 King St. W. Phone $81, residence 180r2, V. A. Henry INSURANCE M3 Simcoe St. 8. hones 1198W---Office 1858J Residence For Your Drug Needs THOMPSON'S 10 Simcoe St. S.~--~We Deliver PEACE A green, evening hush; Peace Far around the wide-wandering hills; Some distant, drowsy sound. All's still, Listen-- A thrush that thrills the silence in to song And fills the neighboring vale Full to its purple rim with melodies That' suddenly cease: Silence creeps up the hill. Dear God! I think no night Was ever quite so clear, So filled with light. Here on this velvet green, stretched at full length, Almost I feel The imperceptible soft rise and fall f nature's breast t rest \ Ls T/SATISFACTION Ah Building Materials Prompt Delivery Right Prices Waterous Meek Ltd. High Class Interior Trim Rough and Dressed Lumber W. J. TRICK COMPANY LIMITED Practicauty every line of busi ness is represented in this di- rectory--a handy reference for COAL COAL Phone 193 W. J. SARGANT Yard--80 Bloor Street K. Orders Prom Delivered STORE FOR RENT At 9 Prince St. Apply ROSS, AMES & GARTSHORE CO. 185 King Street' West, Oshawa. Phone 1160 'Machinery Repairing NOTHING TOO LARGE NOTHING TOO SMALL Adanac Machine Sh 161 King St. W. Phone 1914 List Your Firm in the "Times" Business Directory! | Wedding Cake Boxes AND Cards that properly fit and match. Printed as required. MUNDY PRINTING CO. LIMITED OSHAWA--ONTARIO Exeter, New Hampshire, is the lat- est claimant to the distinction of be- ing the birthplace of thhe Republican party. We arc beginning to think Until the morrow. . fi y ~~ -- I I | ihe Republican party was originally epidemic. --Detroit News, ) The fruit-fly quarantine, we are told, has just about stopped rum-run- ning from Florida. We felt sure from the first that this thing would have serious consequences.~Nashville 25 Albert Street Phones 230 & 157. ~ Real Estate Insurance CUTLER & PRESTON 64 KING ST. W. Telephone 572-223 Night Calls 510-1560 -- Cosy Brick Cottage: 5 Rooms--all conveniences Oak floors, worth $4,000. Very central, Three Thou- sand will buy if you have $1100 Cash, ° DISNEY Opposite Post Office. 550 OPTOMETRIBT. 23%; Simcoe St North Hundreds of ;vuple wear with utmost comfort Hare's Fault'esa lenses. Southern Lumberman,