THE UNEMPLOYED.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14980, 28 April 1909, Page 7

THE UNEMPLOYED.

WORK ON THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.. FORTY-EIGHT MEN SENT AWAY. Early yesterday morning the Christchurch railway station was exceptionally busy before the departure of the train for Broken River, owing to the fact that forty-eight men, with their baggage, were leaving for the Midland Railway works. The workers were mostly young single men, but a few were old men, and some were married. The train left at seven o'clock, and was due to arrive at Broken River two and'a half hours later. Preparations had been made at the works for the reception of* the men, and they were to commence work immediately. Last evening Mr W. H. Hagger, the officer in charge of the local Labour Bureau, said that he had succeeded in obtaining the full complement of fifty applicants, and of that number fortyeight had presented themselves at the railway station and left by the early train. About 80 per cent of the men had paid cash for their reduced fares, and he thought the paying of fares in advance by such a large proportion was mainly responsible for .the number of men that had left by the tram. It had been found frequently in the past that when the Department advanced orders for the ticketa the holders did not trouble to go by the train. ' Yesterday morning there were few. applicants at the Labour Bureau for employment, and apparently most of the surplus labour had been dealt with. It was remarkable, he said, that a very largo percentage of men were between the ages of twenty and twenty-five years, though there were one or two old men. A few of the men were -tradesmen, and there was a sprinkling of " newchums." Most of the men were experienced in the class of work they would have to perform', and, taken all round, they were a lot of good workmen. The majority of the men had had fair sums of money and one man when paying his fare to Broken River presented a ten-pound note, showing that ho, at least was not in financial straits. x ln' answer to a question as to whether the places of the two men who had not gone would be filled, Mr Hagger said that the full fifty men would be sent, and if the two absentees did not go other men would be despatched.