The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-05-02
DESTITUTION.
Caused by Improvidence and DrunIness
Among English Workingmen.

Caused by Improvidence and DrunItness
Among English Workingmen.
The volume of United States Consular
Reports for January, which has lust
been issued by the Department of State.
contains three reports by Consul Locke,
OF neutrality-suspicious.. the first on
PROSTITUTION in the North of England, y
the second on Iron Workers Wages in
the North of England and the third
on Trade Depression in the North of
England. " Many of the facts embodied
in these valuable reports have already
been given TO the readers of the BIale
in Mr.. Locie's letters.
From the report on Substitution in
the North of England" the following
portion is given, showing the lament
able improyidence of the Engl sh
laborers, and the part that the trailc
in intoxicating drinks plays in incrcas-
ing the want and misery of their women
and children. The men whose CON
dition is discussed are those engaged
in the various departments of the ship
building trade:
III tunes Ike these lessons are always read
the laboring classes us to how they should
have lived in order to preserve themselves
from such straits rs those in which they now
nnd themselves. But it seems impossible for
the labOrer, of the north of England at least
to benefit by these lessons. This is due to n
number of causes, one of the chiefest of which
training.
few days young man of perhaps twenty
nve or thirty years came to me for assistance
IN hndlng one OF his brothers in America. He
wanted and from him. He said:
u have been out of work for fourteen
weeks and there is no prospect of getting
my wife and two children suffer ] must aD-
peal to my brother in America for help
Fs'What is your trade?"
81 am inter, sir; but you know there is no
ship-building here now, and will not be till
spring mt least aud by that time we may be
all starved to death"
else?"
II don't know anything else. Twas brought
up litter, and have always been filter; and
now that there is nothing for filters to do
am without any resources"
That explains cit all. Instead of learning
every branch of trade thoroughly, these
mon seem to be content to know simply one
part OF it, and to that one part they seem to
stick all their lives, living well when there is
work in that particular branch and totally I'M
able to do anything else when there is not
The last few years have seen n great i'm
prOvement in this district, but the fact still
remains that the working classes here7lbouts
dIt llilpEON luDiU
For the past four years wages in the ship
building trade tand il is the men in that trade
who are suffering most today have been far
above average wages, as there was n remark
able demand for high-class vessels and build
ers were reaplng such harvestS that they
could afford to and did pay big wages. The
Workmen, not prohting by the experiences of
the past, seemed to imagine that such a CON
dition OF affairs was to endure forever, and
their money went as fast as it came, no pro-
vision at all being made for the possibility of
Sld1pn total nft no flor go 81,
golden stream. When work ceased from lack
of fresh orders, the men found themselves
not only without means, but too frequently
badly in debt
Then came the periodical visits to the
pawn shop ana the hnal appeal to the relief
committee for the aid their prudence in times
oil plenty should have provided
SQUANDERED FOR LIQUOR
And the Temperance question plays no I'M
important part in this matter. In city of
the size of Newcastle, where there are so
many diverse interests, the consumption of
liquor and the amounts of money expended
therein are not so noticeable as in smaller
places. where the great proportion of the
people are engaged in one branch OF trade
Take, for instance, the town of Sunderland
in this consular district, whose population of
lO4,OO0 Is very largely made up of ship-build-
ers. There are i'll that town no less than 5SI
drinking establishments, and a careful es-
innate places the amount of money received
direct from workingmen at El50,0O0 per an
mum.
Whore the men are paid off Saturday noon.
the public houses claim them from that hour
till closing time at eleven o'clock at night and
only too often the next night also, the follow
ing Monday being devoted to getting into
condition to resume work on Tuesday
thorough, practical Temperance reformation
in the north of England would most mate
rally tighten the burden over which the fax
payer means so increasingly, and would 90 n
great way towards preventing such frequent
recurrence of widespread distress such rs
that existing here at the present time.
-IOledO Blade