SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1923, THE DAILY BRITISH WHIG LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SITUATION Summary of Conditions During Past Year--What a Canvass of Kingston Firms Shows. W. Alan Stroud, superintendent of the Kingston Branch of the Em- ployment Service of- Canada, when asked by the Whig about labor con- ditions in Kingston offered the fol- lowing as a report in brief of the year's work carried on from Nov ember 1st, 1922 to October lst, 1923. After a short survey of last year's report, it has beem forciuly brought to our attention that con- ditions that exist in Kingston and which is pract.cally general through- out Ontario around the latter part of October of nearly every year, when building construction and road work are practically finished for the year. It is about this time that the local office is besieged with men seeking employment for the winter months, and the local repre- sentative was kept busy giving inter views to applicants, apd making every effort to solicit work and seeking orders for employment from the various plants and factories. During December of last year a suc- cessful effort was made in getting the City Council interested by sub- mitting accurate figures and infor- mation in having work started such as snow.shovelling and sewer con- struction, which kept approximately 100 married men employed three and four days a week during the winter months until the spring work opened up. This employment start ed in with a rush until July 15th, is avsoiutely essential that relianis information must be had that mone are available before putting an or. and that can only be obtained by being in close touch with the var- jous oragnizations of which these mechanics are members, It does not follow that all mechanics out of employment are listed; therefore if any kind of labor is brought in when they are available locally, tem is lable for censtre from these organizations, Beginning April locomotive works had 450 employed, and were daily ing their staff, and two large con- tractors started work on the new buildings for the Bank of Montreal and library for Queen University. In almost every case all help requir- jed for this work was taken on through the local office and this office was successful in meeting their wants during 'the entire season. Many calls were made upon the lo- cal office during the season for all classes of marine workers and freight handlers. Although there was a big demand for farm help during the year and many place- ments effected, the supply was nou nearly equal to the demand. Every effort made by this branch to cope with this phase of employemnt. Another important work that this [branch of the Employment Service |was interested in during the latter Canadian hands increas. the the. sys- | {3100 with prospects good for the 'winter months; A. Davis & Sons, Ltd., tannery, have 120 empioyces lsome of these due to re-adjustment {arising out of the recent, fire at this plant; the Dominion Textile Com- {pany report business good with 200 EE OpIOYOoN AR ET FAY EOE oR {dition will prevail throughout the | winter. The W. J. Crotners Com- der through the Clearance System, |pany have 155 hands employed, and [would valiantly up to the present bu:iness has been very acfive; the Weber Piano Com- pany's factory have 65; with busi- {ness fairly active, The Collie wool- {len mills: are running with a re. {duced staff which will be increased |after the New Year. | Building construction work is Istill in progress at the library build- ing at Queen's University, and the {firm of Anglin & Norcross are now {putting in temporary windows so {that inside work can be carried on during the winter months. Practi- {cally the same condition exists on {the Bank of Montreal building. The heating system is being stalled. iplasters and labourers are busy, {and work will be carried on until {the completion of this building. H. | Watts; contractor, has construction {workers 'employed at the Royal Mili- itary College; and other contractors are finishing up small jobs in course of erection. The number of those listed at the {employment office seeking employ. | ment total 150, mostly un:killéa, {which is a problem to handle, some {of whom are in actual need. Every effort is being made to remeve this situation. | The Kingston branch of the Em- {ployment Service, has heen greatly patronized, during the past year there was a small shortage notice. Dart of this year was the effort put | 9,255 placements effected from Nc- able, All placements on the above ~ unemployment relief work was made through this office, During November, 126 men were employed at 1922, about locomotive works, and from a can vas made of the various firms, show- ed that plano workers were busy and working overtime, candy and biscuit makers were working on day and night @hifts, and the Tex- tile Company were in need of fe- male help, tanners were busy and & large staff was employed by the Davis tannery. . It Is absoutely neecssary to xmow local conditions In order to have this information to give to the large number of workers who apply at this office seeking work, and so be in a position to send them where work Is most likely ta be found, even if there is no orders listed, by some firms who were taking on help. Clearance System, During the year through the clearance system, a number of skill. ed mechanics, who were not avail- able locally were brought to King- forth to place a fairly large num- {ber of British Immigrants that were {listed, which shows the greatest necessity for closer connection be- lapproximately some fifty immigrants lapplied for work in this district {during the past two months very [few would\ accept farm or bush work. Most of the applicants were skilled mechanics and wanted work in their own line, and from a sur- vey of local industries, practically ino vacancies existed. If work can- {not be found for them, then they {become a public charge upon community; many of them made ef- forts to gain entrance to the United States. These incidents are stated in an. endeavor to show that the Employment Service is the only fac- tor that falls the responsibility of placing a large percentage of new comers to this country, Present Employment Conditions, The employment conditions Kingston to date show that Canadian Locomotive Works in the the | | vember 1922 to October 1923, ' and Hhas-- proved itrelf a public----utility; which besides the routine work of | placements in banks, business King- [tween the Employment Service and |houses, telephone company and the ston's largest industry, the Canadian [the Immigration branch. Although [Press are regular callers on the ser- |vice to inquire as to the omly re {rable sourse on conditions of em- { ployment, ! | CAROL SINGERS | I have some pleasant memories {of carol singing in the Old Lana. 'The practice among the boys was to beg.n caroling as early as possiole; {some could scarcely wait for De- |cember to come in, and would make | feeble efforts to awaken the Christ- {mas spirit in the busy housewife [long before that lady had bought {the fruit for her bun-loaves and | plum-pudding. The legitimate time for carol- singing among us boys was about a fortnight from Christmas day, but it never really got into full swing {till the twenty-third of the month. {Then the still air of, the suburbs have | was smitten with the sound of many [Right. {approximately 550 hands employed, voices: I have kmown three or four with others on those keen, {the Collingwood' Shipbuilding Com- {groups of boys to commence sing- B er--the effect of such a competitivn [mast be heard to be appreciated. { The average boy caroi-singer had {uot a very extensive stock of carols, land these were of a very shaky jouslity; hé was usually very shaky {In his knowledge of the words, and Tee ve Wald I SRE ee jinto another. But, boy-like, he was lequal to emergencies, ana struggle the most up all lamentable rendering, finishing lin grand style with: "God bless the master of this house, Likewise the missus, too, And all the little children Around the table, too, . With pocket full of money and a cellar full of beer. We wish you a Merry Christmas ana a Happy New Year." Sometimes the "master of this house" would appear waving a stick; but this reception was only done in a spirit of fun fo stantle the boys, and often enough he would call the little singers back and dis- tribute coppers amongst them. On one occasion we had sung our lcarols and exhausted our appeals, such as: "Knock at the knocker, ring at the bell, Please spare a copper for singing that so well; you haven't got a penny, aha'- penny will do; If you haven't got a ha'-penny, God bless you!" If We had run our tether in these things, when. an old lady appeared in response to a loud rat-tat upon the door. She seemed surprised wv find so many boys in her garden path and rather sharply inquired what we were doing there. One {boy ventured to inform her that |we had been singing carols. "Singing what?" putting her hand to her ear stooping to the nearest boy. "Carols," said the boy. '"Then you must have been ring- ing through your hat, for I didn't hear you!" She advised us to go home to bed and we retired as meekly as we could; but some of the boys passea rude remarks as they bangea the gate behind them, Such cases, however, were not the rule; we were often kindly treacea, and feasted with coffee and bun- jdoaf., Carol singing is not merely a boy- ish custom in England. Some of the church choirs make a round of visits to the homes of the members of the church, and sing from Christ- mas eve till the dawn of Christmas day. There was something angelic In the sound of the carol singers by I uted to think, as 1 sang starry ights, that our voices might fall she snapped, and ston, In reference to this system itipany have 113, which increases to ing within a few doors of each oth- upon the ears of some wakeful sul- i id IN OUR EFFORTS TO GIVE SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC, ONE OF OUR GREATEST LABORS IS THAT OF AVOIDING CIDENTS. ALL CITIZENS, WHETHER MOTORISTS OR PEDESTRIANS, CAN AID IN THIS MATTER BY BEING CAREFUL AT ALL TIMES. WE THANK OUR PATRONS FOR THEIR KINDNESS D UR- SAFETY FIRST EASTERN DAIRY AC. 0 ferer, or some world-weary souls on sleepless pillows, bringing glad tidings of hope and comfort; mel. odious messages from the spirit- world which comes so near to our mundane life at this season of the year, THE QUIDE POST By Henry van Dyke. Behold I bring you good tid- ings of great joy which shall be to all people.--Luke 2:10. Is it too early to give a thought to Christmas? Do you think the war has spoiled Christmas? Do you believe the coming revolu- tion, the social upheaval, the triumph of materialism, the dictatorship of the proletariat, or whatever may be before us is going to destroy Christ- mas and leave no room for its re- turn? . 1 tell you, no! Whatever turnings and overturn- Victoria St. l Greetings Wishing our many Friends and Patrons avery Merry Christmas ings, whatever calamity and ruin, are in store for this battered old world, you and I will never be poor- er than the blessed Mary and Joseph when they walked to Bethlehem, and that same night '""The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,-- The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay." Whatever fantasies of govern- ment or no-government the brains of men may devise, the heart of man will always ask and take a day of rest and peace, gladness and good will to sweeten the long year. The older you are the quicker Christmas comes. The younger you are the slower Christmas comes. Why noi give your wife a nice, soft, ribbed@rolling pin for Christ-| mas? If some men were able to make money as easily as they make trou- ble their wealth would soon become burdensome. | ALLAN LUMBER (0. Phone 1042 pai. THE BUBBLE BURST Young Tom was spending Christ- mas in the country, and had been = invited to the beautiful home of & sweet young thing named Agnes. . "What a charming place!" he said enthusiastically, to Agnes' proud parents. "Does it go as far as those woods over there?" . "It does," remarked the somewhat unsympathetic father. "Ah," said Tom, still cheerily; "and to that old stone wall over there, sir?" % : "It does," came the gruff AnaWOr "and it gees as far as the river on the south, and to the main road on the north." "Beautiful!" put in Tom. ; "Yes," went on the old man, "but it doesn't go with Agnes!" Then Tom faded peacefully from view. Literature is the immortality of | speech. ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Kingston, Ont. WHAT DOES THE EASTERN DAIRY SCHOOL MEAN TO THE SCHOOL | CITIZENS OF KINGSTON AND SURROUNDING DISTRICT ? During the last two years at least, the Eastern Dairy School has occupied a 'very prominent place in whole. In the first place, our work is primarily of an educational character. our public affairs, and yet it is doubtful if many of our citizens have a true conception of what this instito- tion means, not only to the citizens of Kingston and adjacent territory, but to the Province of Ontario as a Our new building Is provided with facilities for the prosecution of research of all subjects relating to the manufacture of butter and cheese and the dissemination of the knowledge thus gained to the parties most vitally interested, so that market a superior article and at the same time to create a demand for high quality to th inferior goods. This policy has not oply enabled us to dispose of our entire output in Kin siderably more for his raw material than he could get elsewhere, and has also encouraged him to supply us with a uniformly better quality of milk and eream. The result r finished products, better prices and a brisker market with a smile ING THE PAST YEAR AND RESPECTFULLY SOLICIT A CONTINUANCE VICE. il OF THEIR GENEROUS USE OF THE SER- i permitted us to pay the dairy farmer is obvious, better raw material, bette on the face of all concerned. dairying, the most important branch of agriculture, may he placed on a more satisfactory footing. Secondly, in order that this work may have the greatest possible value, it was decided that it be conducted on a commercial basis. For this reason we have an equipment capable of producing butter and cheese, ao only of high quality, but in commercial quantities, so that the industry may be studied from every angle. Lastly, it has been our constant aim to increase the consumption of dairy products by putting on the Courses for Instruction, 1924. Regular Course Seb rs reais a ts iene ian FORMAL OPENING OF TH! +. -Fob. 25th WwW SCHOOL BUILDING WILL Truc. PLA JANUARY 10th, AT WHICH THE HON. N MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, W ' PRES x L. A. » GEO, a exclusion of , but has ZUFELT, A. PUTMAN,