AUSTRALIAN NEWS. (PER R.M.S.S. AUSTRALIA.) THE SYDNEY UNEMPLOYED. Feeding the Hungry.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 178, 13 November 1886, Page 1

AUSTRALIAN NEWS. (PER R.M.S.S. AUSTRALIA.) THE SYDNEY UNEMPLOYED. Feeding the Hungry.

The courtyard of the Immigration Barracks at Sydney, now U9ed as a free restaurant for the starving poor, presented an extraordinary spectacle on Friday last. Mr Melville, on behalf of the Government, has adopted the ino*t prompt and energetic measures to meet what is allowed to be an emergency. At 4 o'clock on Tnuraday afternoon the work commenced, and by Friday, at 8, 450 single men were fed and passud out in half an hour. Almost interminable rows of trestle tables had been constructed, and on these are placed basins, plates, knives and forks, enough to accommodate eight hundred at one time Six paid cooks and u number of volunteers attended übout a dozen large copp> rs, somo of which had been removed from the Soup Kitchen, which is cloeed. The food consists of junks of beef and mutton of prime quality, potatoes, bread, and coup. The men answer the roll call md the loafers are run out by the detectives, who are present at all meals. The married mvn, receive double rations, take theirs away uncooked. There are alreudy 780 single and 402 married men on this lamentable r«(l. The scone at breakfast presented no very noteworthy features, nor did there eeem any apparent actual starvation, although some ol the guests seemed to relish the meal heartily. The daily ration for an adult is lib. meat, l^lb. bread, £oz. tea, 4oz 9ugar, and lib. potatoes, and the provisions are in every way excellent. Half rations are allowed to children. In the meantime every effort is being made to find or make work for the men The married men — and, as far as possible, the hardest cases amongst them — are considered first. The principal work at present is clearing and stumping the site at Botany designed tor the noxious trades. Two hundred married men were to leave for thia at once, and a furthwr number a day or two later. The men will be found in rations, for which a deduction of Is. per man per day will be made. Tents and tools will be found, and arrangements will be made for payments to v/ive3 of men from 10d. to 15s per week while the work last?. No man who refused to avail himself of the employment offered was to be supplied with food at the depot.