The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-04-24
DEsTITuTioN.

Caused by Improvidence and DruDkness
Among English Workingmen.
The volume of United States Consular
Reports for January, which has Just
been issued by the Department of State,
contains three reports by Consul Locke,
of neutrality-suspicious.. the first on
"Destitution in the North of England,
the second on ''lron 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 Blade
in Mr.. Locke's letters.
From the report on ''Destitution in
the North of England" the following
portion is given, showing the lament<7
able improvidence of the English
laborers, and the part that the traffic
in intoxicating drinks plays in increas-
ing the want and misery of heir women
and children. The men whose con-
d ton is discussed are those engaged
in the various departments of the ship
building trade:
In times like these lessons are always read
the laboring classes as to how they should
have lived in order to preserve themselves
from such straits as those in which they now
find themselves. Bat it seems impossible for
the laborer, of the north of England at least,
to benefit by these lessons. This is due to
number of causes, one OF the choicest of which
is what seems TO be faulty system of early
training.
A few days young man of perhaps twenty
five or thirty years came to me for assistance
in finding one of his brothers in America. He
wanted aid from him. He sald
II have been out OF work for fourteen
weeks, and there is no prospect of getting
anything this winter. and l can't bear to see
my wife and two children suffer. must APP
peal to my brother in America for help
S"What is your trader"
81 am filter, Sir; but you know there is no
ship-building here now, and will not be till
,ring at least, and by that time we may be
all starved to DEATH"
why don't you go to work at something
else?'
II don't know anything else. Twas brought
up filter, and have always been filter; and
now that there is nothing. for filters to do
am without any resources.
That explains it all. Instead of learning
every branch of trade thoroughly, these
mon seem to be coStent to know simply one
part OF it, and to tMat 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 great i'm
remains that the working cfaSies hereabouts
are frightfully im0rovident
For the past four years wages in the ship
building trade (and it is the men in that trade
who are suffering most To-Day have been far
above average wages, as there was a remark
able demand for high-claSs vessels, and build
ers were reaping such harvests that they
could afford to and did pay big wages. The
workmen, not proftng by the experiences of
the past seemed to imagine that such 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 tie possibility of
sudden and total stoppage of the flow of the
golden stream. When work ceased from lack
OF fresh orders, the men found themselves
not only without means, but too frequently
badly in'dGbt.
Then came the periodical visits to the
pawn shop, and the final appeal to the relief
committee for the aid their prudence in times
of plenty should have provided.
sQUANDERED FOR LIQUOR.
And the Temperance question plays no I'M
important part in this matter. In a 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
104, 900 is very largely made up OF ship-build-
ers. There are in that town no less than 587
drinking establishments, and a careful es-
innate places the amount of money received
direct from workngmen at &l50,000 per an.
Aum.
Where the meFs 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. A
thorough, practical Temperance reformation
in the north of England would most mate
rally tighten the burden over which the tax
payer means so increasingly, and would go a
great way towards preventing such frequent
recurrence of widespread distress. such ms
that existing here at the present time.
Toledo Blade.