CO885-(23-24) — Page 545

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

LICO. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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Now I must pass over what happened on the voyage to what is relevant to this case. Did you arrive on the 23rd October at Buenos Ayres, and did you apply to the Labour Exchange for employment?—Yes.

Did they provide you with it?—None whatever.

Were you willing to accept employment in other lines than your own until you could find some in your own-Yes, and I offered to do so.

Did they provide you with any whatever?-None whatever.

How long did you stay?-21 days.

How often did you call at the Labour Exchange while you were there?-Every day, and frequently twice a day.

We must not have what they told you, but did they ever find you anything to do?-Nothing whatever.

Did you also make enquiries on your own account with regard to employment ?— Yes, I presented letters of introduction to various people which I had from England here.

Do you mean letters of introduction to specific people, or just general testi- monials? No, to particular people in Buenos Ayres.

Did you secure any employment by those means?--No.

With regard to the railways which had been represented to you as under con- struction, did you find out whether that was true-I was told by one of the chief engineers-

I must not ask you that. Was it true that they were under construction ?--- There was no construction going on at that time.

Then did you complain to the British Consul?—Yes.

Did you all of you put a written statement with regard to your position before

the British Consul?—Yes.

Did you apply several times to him?—Yes

With regard to the efforts made to find you employment, are you one of the people mentioned in the advertisement which we have heard of ?—Yes.

Apart from that what steps, as far as you know, were taken in answer to your application. Did they take any special steps with regard to your particular employ- ment, and to find you employment in your particular line at telegraphic work? No. Ultimately were you sent back by the British Consul with the others?—Yes.

Cross-examined by Mr. RAEBURN.

Were you going out as an emigrant trusting to the Labour Bureau to find you work?—Yes.

With letters of introduction from people here to specific firms in the Argentine? Yes.

What attracted you the cheap rate of £7 to Buenos Ayres?-Partly,

Should I be wrong if I said it was mainly that, and not partly-Yes.

I would be wrong-No, the cheap rate attracted me.

You told my friend you had been an engineer in Persia ?—I had been employed

as a telegraphist, and also as a maintenance engineer.

You had been trained, I suppose, as an engineer?-Exactly.

How long was it after you came back from Persia that you determined to go to Buenos Ayres?—At the end of June, or the beginning of July, I first thought of it. The CLERK : When did you come back from Persia?-I arrived in England from Persia on the 28th or 29th May.

Mr. RAEBURN: Had you come back to England with the intention of finding employment at home?--I had just completed the contract, and I returned to England. I found a difficulty in getting a fresh contract to go abroad again.

You wanted to go abroad and not remain in this country?—Yes, exactly; was no use for me here in England.

there

Is your particular kind of employment as a telegraph engineer one in which it is easy to obtain a post?-Yes, where telegraphs are under construction, and it frequently occurs that what I have described as maintenance and constructional engineers are required.

The way in which you obtain these posts I suppose, is you would go to one of the well-known firms, Henley & Co., or the (?) Construction Company?—Yes. It is a very forlorn hope to try it by going to a Labour Bureau? Why? Would you go to one of the Labour Exchanges in this country to get work?— No, I should not think so.

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And yet you thought you would get work from the Labour Exchange in the Argentine-Yes.

And within three weeks?—Yes.

As I understand it you trusted to what Mr. Hetherington showed you on this map which I have before me as showing you that there were telegraphs under con- struction in the Argentine Yes.

I have the map before me, and I see nothing about telegraphs under construction in the Argentine. I see "Telegraphs."-Will you let me refer to the map?

Certainly. I suppose this is a similar map to the one you saw (map handed) !—— Yes, it was a similar map. May I mark it?

a mistake.

•

Certainly. (The witness marked the map.) I think I see where you have made What have marked are railways under construction.-Do you usually run railways without telegraphs?

you

Is it that which made you think that there were telegraphs under construction ?— Certainly.

Are we to understand from the representation contained in this map you trusted that you would find work in the Argentine from the State Labour Bureau in three weeks?--Exactly.

Had you been applying for work elsewhere before you decided to go to the Argentine?—I had.

Had you applied to any other passage brokers in regard to work? Do you

Mr. Hetherington is a passage broker? Yes, exactly.

Hád you applied to any other passage broker?—No, none.

When you got out did you go to the Emigration Hotel ?--Yes. You had your board and lodging free there, did you not?--Yes.

know

They took your name and particulars at the Labour Bureau ?—Yes, and also asked the question why I had come out there, as Englishmen were not wanted.

Was it in July that Mr. Hetherington gave you the map and the particulars and the pamphlet ?—Yes.

Of course, you did not sail until the 18th September?-No. I did propose leaving England on August 7th on the S.S." Zeelandia," but I did not do so.

When did you make up your mind definitely that you would leave England for the Argentine?-At the end of September.

What had you been hesitating about since July when you were shown this map in Mr. Hetherington's office?--I wished to find out as much as possible about the country as regards climate and also the facilities of work there.

From whom did you enquire?—I wrote to the Argentine Consul-General. Did you receive from the Argentine Consul-General any pamphlets about the Argentine?—Yes, a pamphlet similar to the one you have before you.

Do you mean the one with the map ?—Yes.

Did he send you any other pamphlets ?----None.

Or give you any information by letter, or anything of that sort?—No.

Did that finally decide you upon going out?—I was sure in my mind that I had satisfied my curiosity as regards work in my particular line out there, and I decided to go.

After you had had the information contained in Mr. Hetherington's pamphlets confirmed by the Argentine Consul-General?-Was it confirmed by the Argentine Consul?

Was it? Was it?

I am asking you?--If you choose to say that it was confirmed by the Argentine Consul when he sends me a similar pamphlet to what I had received from the shipping agent, you can.

If you ask me I should say so. Can you point to any differences between what Mr. Hetherington's literature had told you and what the literature of the Argentine Consul-General had told you. Was there any difference which had any effect upon your mind?-No.

Re-examined by Mr. CoмYNS Carr.

As I understand, the Argentine Consul-General simply sent you the same pamphlet you had already received from Mr. Hetherington, or one of them ?—Yes.

You were asked whether your particular kind of employment is easy to obtain. Does that depend upon whether there are railways or telegraphs under construction Maintenance Inpectors are in the place you go to?—Yes, from one point of view.