Poplar's Loss of Yarrow's.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 20, 18 October 1907, Page 10

Poplar's Loss of Yarrow's.

"serious effect on trade ■ THREATENED.. " ' •' The removal of Messrs. shipbuilding and engineering 'works from Poplar to Scotland is causing great uneasiness among the tradespeople in the Poplar district.The company, who at present "employ 1,500 men at their jL J oplar 'works; are removing their entire plant to Scotstown, on the Clydo, and 100 workmen with their families have already departed for Scotland. Houses are being vacated, and many tradespeople, who depend upon the workmen for thoir. business, declare they may have to close their shops. The figures involved aro:— Number'of workmen 1,500 Number of people (three to , a family) 4,500. Amount of weekly expenditure-£3,500 •Houses occupied by employees ;.'.V.v...' ; 9UO' Within ten months the plant will be practically; closed. To ascertain the feeling among tradespeople in the. district a number of them woro interviewed, arid many, particularly tho smaller ones, regarded the situation as' serious. " i . :■ "The loss will '-"fall,-principally upon us," said a grocer in East Iridia Dock Road. Almost all my business is with the workmen of the Yarrow'.wprks,; and .when theyi go I'.shall have tofolosb -up. At ; tho< end-ofithel month; when the accounts become duo, theso workr. men pay m'o from £50 to £75. ,I'iVci, • every pennytho mon earn is spent in;'J?oplar. I should think' the loss to trade, in.c;eric : ral here will; be" not'less than £3,500 weokly.'.' "I don't'selkfilO .worth of riieat a month to people employed outside thqv^pHfs'j'y'said-a-butcher, ''and'wheh tho planti^s/oritircly; moved I shall, have to of Poplar ami work up a TCJ'i'.i-; - ' 'Almost.,' every workman!/ ati''yard buys his clothes' ill l > o[)lar;""'said : a clo-' thier. "Of course we do not'expect the entire .men'to go to Scotland, but it will be the unskilled workmen and those earning smaller wages who'will remain behind. Consequently they will be looking for work, and that won't help to keep up ntv business much. Several tradesmen .■ already; liavo moved to other part 3of London. In recent years we have had more than our share of empty houses, but beforo long wo may expect- to se>. whole streets placarded with 'to let' signs.''., "The high rates at Poplar," says Mr. Harrow, "were one reason for tho removal, while coal and unskilled labour wer cheaper in Scotland, and torpedo boats and other craft could bo made at from 10 to 12 per cent less than the cost on the Thames.'.'" " v J -