STEW THAT IS GOOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20921, 10 July 1931, Page 13

STEW THAT IS GOOD.

MEALS FOR UNEMPLOYED*

SALVATION ARMY EFFORT.

FEW AGITATORS IN QUEUE.

"Is it good, boys?"

between mouthfuls of steaming stew, the "boys"—4o or 50 of them—assured the staff captain that it was good. Most of them gave him a smile of thanks to back the assurance. Hungry men are not conversationally inclined, so there was no more than a momentary pause in the steady plying of knives and forks. But one could see that most of those gathered at the board as the guests of th« Salvation Army were grateful for that midday meal of soup and stew. Like the Yorkshireman in "The Good Companions," they were not inclined to anything bordering on emotional speech. But for the most part the feeling of gratitude was there just the same. Presently the men in the, first, sitting filed out and most of them gave a "thanks very much" to the Army officer at the door. A hundred other men to whoni meal tickets had been issued were lounging in a corridor outside, awaiting their turn for soup and stew. All; types of the unemployed were there —bearded men and youths in their twenties; some who had been sampling hospitality of this sort, off and on, for the last 10 or 15 years, according to the Army officer with the memory for faces; others of the "new poor,"genuinely keen to find the elusive job. Astonishing Impudence of a Clique. "If any of you men can milk cows, I think I can find a few farm jobs if yoa will call at my office later," said the staff captain. "Hands up those who are willing to go into the country," Half a dozen hands were raised. "Right," said the captain. "See me later." It is idle to pretend that all the men are grateful for this free meal. Probably, more than 90. per cent, of r.hem are, but there is a small clique, almost entirely, composed of young men, of astonishing? impudence.

The "soup kitchen" has been esiab* lished at the Salvation Army's Workmen's Home in St. Paul's Street and the meal tickets are issued in the street outside Wellesley Chambers, where Staff Cap* tain T. E. Holmes has his office. By; midday those who want tickets hare gathered in considerable numbers outside the Wellesley Street post office. In order that the meal arrangements for the boarders at the Workmen's Home shall not be upset, free meals are not, available until 12.30 p.m. and yesterday, for instance, Captain Holmes appeared in the street to issue tickets a little before that hour. Need lor Discrimination.

At once a section of the crowd surged noisily around the officer. They were full of make-believe complaints. "Why could not the tickets be issued somewhere else?" "Had not they a right to a free meal ?'-i "Whose fault was it, anyway?"

The captain refused to be bustled by these demonstrators, all young men, whom others in the crowd identified as being the ones who comprised the militant section at the City Mission shelter. " Fall into the queue," said the captain, indicating the line being formed by the remaining men. It did not take long to dispose of the tickets. . f

Then the clamant section crowded again around the staff captain. Being inmates of the " doss-house" they were at least sure of two meals a day, and the soup kitchen is intended principally for those who might otherwise secure no other meal that day. On the previous day one man was heard boasting that he had managed to obtain four or five free meals a day. Accordingly, there is need for discrimination in the distribution of tickets. Good as a Hotel Meal. The demonstrators who were refused tickets appeared to be very indignant* The captain refused to be drawn into the quarrel the youths were striving tomanufacture, and walked away. However, bafore he headed for the soup kitchen himself he mingled with the remaining crowd to see whether any deserving fellow had been overlooked. " Can I have a ticket please, captain ?" asked one man. " Certainly; here you are, my boy; but you know you should line up with the rest." One hundred and fifty men were given soup kitchen tickets yesterday. The regular kitchen staff at the Workmen's Home cheerfully give their services in preparing and serving meals for these " extras.'' The chef has worked in half-a-dozen city, hotels. " And this is just as good aa the meals provided there," he added, dis- , playing a large saucepan of stew. " But does not this make a lot of extra work for your staff?" he was asked, " Oh, none of us mind," he answered.- " After all, we have jobs." However, it was learned from another source that considerable extra work is involved in the provision of free meals. As soon as one day's dinner has been disposed of, the staff immediately set to, preparing the meat and vegetables for the next day, and that is not done in an hour. - Gratitude of the .Majority, A little later the bbisterous brigade makes its presence known outside. Those from the City Mission shelter wjio were refused tickets are trying to persuade those with a meal issue not to go inside. A few hesitate, but presently most of them file in. " Those men are Red Feda •and are just looking for trouble," said one man as lie handed in his ticket. " We will just let them have time to settle down, and if they behave themselves we will see what we can do," said the staff captain, who is a modern Job. And so every day something of the same sort takes place. It is not a pleasant cross-section of life in the largest city of a young Dominion. Even to-day the average Queen Street habitue . might not believe that Hungry men ara jostling each other to secure meal tickets in a back street- not a stone's throw away. Unfortunately most of those men are solely dependent on a place in that queue for the one substantial meal of the day. And those men are grateful.