WANTED WORK.

West Coast Times, 23 June 1909, Page 3

WANTED WORK.

SIXTY MEN FOR ONE JOB. j SCENE IN A WAREHOUSE. , Outside a certain warehouse in Wei- \ lington at 10 o'clock in the morning • recently, and inside up the stairway to the third koor all sorts and condi- ( tions 'of men were waiting patiently, They looked not unlike a queue at the ■ theatre door anxious to get good seats' ••• at a good show. From their conversation, it was easily preceived that they were looking for, something somewhat less easy to obtain in these times ■ —work. They wejpe applicants for a job. ■ In the previous night's Post had '. appeared an advertisement —"Wanted, , smart man for store—Apply ten o'clock Saturday"—and they were apapplying. There were fully' sixty of them, a respectable strong-looking • lot of men, one or two stylishly attired. "I thought he was the manager," < said one man, referrng to a figure in fashionable raiment, "but he's only af- , ter a job like the rest of us." An- 3 other man yawned audibly. "He's 1 been up all night waiting to get first j say," was the comment. A telegraph boy came along. "I've got the job," j he cried, holding up an envelope. "Give it me," said one applicant with ; subtle humour. He was in the back of the scrum, and made as if he want^ , ed to get to the front. However, the , telegraph boy declared him offside, . bored his way through, and was lifted over the final press into the door- . way "Hurray !" A thin cheer announced at last the opening of the door. By and by an applicant emerged to be greeted with "What did he say?" "How did you get on ?" "Got the job?" ' "He says he will see you all," was the reply as the man who had seen the manager took a short cut, climbing ; across the narrow well to a lower tier of. stairs. ( They were a cheerful crowd, though, ' and took their sorrows gladly enough '• under the circumstances. They wax- '■ ed witty over, their tragi-comical sit- ( uation. Privately, however, one or ; two confided that times were really bad, and were going, to be worse. "I know a shop—a plumber's shop—where they have nobody at all now ; and they have been running thirty years or more. Houses are sacking hands everywhere. Sydney—Sydney's better, but Sydney's overrun with chaps from here, and every week sees a boatload : of immigrants to make it worse. Still, things are bad all over the world, and its no good , grumbling. Times'll change." And as applicanpt after applicant in tervievved the manager, the crowd gradually melted away.

Advice to men.—Now that the cold weather is on us we would advise you to buy a good warm overcoat We have a large assortment of the famous Kaipoi coats, double and single breasted; they are all well cut and finished to perfection. Prices 45s 55s and 655. Call and inspect at S. JPreston's, Gent's outfitters.