The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-04-29
IN CANADA
FEEL PINCH OF POVERTY
Pubic Subscriptions Necessary to Keep From Starvation Thousands
DeIuded Into Moving Thither- -Unfortunates HuddIed in a
r-Paper Reservation DerisiveIy Called Shaektown.

tor of st. Margaret's Church, made a
special appeal to the city authorities
to organize some method of relief in
addition to those afforded by the
House of Industry and the other reg
ular institutions maintained by the
municipality. A large proportion OF
these unemployed within the city linn
it's were also newcomers from Eng
land or Scotland, and there was much
doubt whether with times as they are
there would be work for all the unem-
ployed of Toronto and ~ShacktoWn
when spring opens and something
like normal conditions are restored.
Other Ontario cities have been
maintaining numbers of unemployed
this winter. Chatham has had a bur-
den of this kind. About 100 families,
including 800 children, arrived there
from England between August and
the end of the immigration season Of
1907. Of the men of these families,
seventy-fve have been out of work all
winter. The condition Of these peo-
pie was brought to the attention OF
the Government at the end of Janu-
airy by a petition to the Department
of ~the<Interior from the City Council,
the Board of Trade and the Associated
Charities of Chatham, in which it was
stated that unpaid rents were accu-
mulating; landlords were growing
impatient; that $4,000 had been paid
out in aid by the city, and that un.
less there were some immediate aid
from the Dominion Government most
of the would be homeless
and starving.
Surplus OF Labor.
There is thus a surplus of labor in
Ontario cities besides the large SUI.
plus in Toronto and %Shacktown. The
Globe, which showed great energy
and resourcefulness in coping with
the situation in S%hacktown, pointed
out that in 1907 Canada received
PIT, 900 immigrants, and that this un-
p~recedentedly large influx followed
an incoming Of 215,000 immigrants
in 1906.
Mr.. Porritt states that when the
Shipping Federation of Montreal met
recently to settle the basis of long
shoremen's pay for the coming navi-
cation season, it was decided to re-
duce wages both at Montreal and
Quebec. These reductions were
made because it was the conviction of
the Shipping Federation that there is
to be- less business at the two ports
than there was in the navigation sea-
son Of 1907. In the lumber camps
this season also wages are fifteen or
twenty per cent. less than they were
in the season of 1867. Early in
November last, when recruiting be-
gan, the old rates we're offered. Just
as soon, however, as it was realized
that men were more eager to go into
the camps than in 1867, wages were
reduced, and moreover, the seasons
cut will be smaller than that of any
season for three or four years back.
The Trade Union Congress of Can
ada early in. the winter sent a repre-
sentative to England to make labor
conditions in the Dominion under
stood there, and to endeavor to stay
some of the immigration from that
country and Scotland. His mission,
however, apparently had little sue
cess, for the expectation at Halifax is
that the season Of 1908 will make a
new record for the port.