HELPING THE SAILOR

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 3, 4 July 1922, Page 3

HELPING THE SAILOR

TO TBI BDIIOR. '' Sir,—regarding the letter concerning unemployed sailors, which appeared in your issue of Saturday, will you allow, mo to say, as an observer, ' that each' winter, in every port of the British Empire, produces unemployment among tho seafaring classes, and eioh winter in Wellington has seen the man tide over thi_ difficult season because of the following:! (1) Tlie ready help extended by the sailor, in a berth, to his'stranded ohum^ (2)' The fact that * man who! is readj; to do hia bit oan go to the Ohiro Home,. where warmth, a bed, and food awaitj him, in repayment for the work he does., And here let me say he is allowed outi to find'a ship"at stated times, and that,, further, he can wash and air his clothe* if needed. -.. ._-._._ (3) A man in deeper distress has been, thought of by the Salvation Army, >whaj haw sovoral sailors 'in" 'their "honte an Miramar, whero they-oan'stay till thej) cap get a ship. Here they work ehoppingl wood, which is afterwards taken arounS tho district and sold.'' For his work al man is given food, shelter, and, if needed,, clothes and boots and oan, if he wishes, go out any day of the week to find a boat. (4) Many men during the winter fintf refuge in the' Salvation Army Working Mon's Hotel, Tory-street, for a small sum—a sum usually donated by a mora successful sailor, or others who-.are'glacß to help. Several of tho boarding, master, have, this winter^ given,, "shakedowns'' in their'.ho-ies' to.'these'monT'tni-' witfc the thought in , view' .that ,thoy will be( compensated by' the advance note when' tho men' ship* " ' ' * (5) I-am told-that-each'■week fairly* large sums are expended for hospitality; at the Sailors' Missions in Wellington* so that no really" needy 'man should be( f without garments. - _ ■ It may interest'your readers" to know! that even a mighty port like Londonl is;faced with unemployment among seamen each winter, and that the Sailors* Home managers, who have a straw house at Gravesend, down tho Thames, send these men to it, whei. they find a deptli of straw that spells warmth. The foregoing fills the bill in Wellington, for a man is offered food here as well as Bhelter.' The great 'reason'"Why. the men are apparently suffering mora this year is because "of tho "slump,"' which effects the .wharves, ,nnd but fot1 tju's the out-of-work sailor' jvould be absorbed, as-a whaif labourer, and-would not bo standing..waiting for,hlre, su>,now> Personally, I think it- a tremendouf pity to go in. for overlapping when at the machinery mentioned^ above is in existence, and when a little moro help fori a few days to the 'Salvation "Army,(for, thoy have the blankets, and the men! sloop on _the .floor, thero) __ vould _see tha men through till the Mayor has his job* going, when men would „be once, .again: on their fool This plan -would _avfc <hof oitizens a big oxpeose for" blankets, "beds, attendants, etc , and this money could be spent for food and shcltor by the authorities mentioned above. ,It will interest; your readers to know that there are men! out of berths who have put by for a "rainyv day," and that theso men are a towot! of strength to their less, fortunate chums* —I am, etc., LABOURER. •