TRAGIC VILLAGE
GREAT JOY AT LAST
Happiness it has not known for years has come to the most tragic village in Britain. Until a few weeks ago it was a place of the living dead. The menfolk of Escombe, near Barnard Castle, have not had more than 14 weeks' work since 1924, when the local colliery closed down. Prospects seemed blackest when, as though from out of the blue, came the cheering message that employees of the Ministry of Labour had started a fund to help the village. " Christmas " was a word seldom spoken. It looked as if there would be no such festival for the inhabitants. So derelict had the village become that few'people living here took any interest in their surroundings or life. Now it is different, although there is still no work. Many are the terrible tales of poverty and hardship to be heard, and although many of the men are against taking charity, the Ministry of Labour employees' fund means food for their families, and they are glad.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21698, 13 January 1934, Page 3 (Supplement)
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172TRAGIC VILLAGE New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21698, 13 January 1934, Page 3 (Supplement)
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