CO885-(23-24) — Page 551

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TILICO. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

Was Ritchie then with you?—Yes.

Was he able to find any employment while you were there?—None. Was he the man who afterwards found employment on the way home?—Yes. And he left the ship?—Yes.

Cross-examined by Mr. RAEBURN.

Why did you choose Mendoza -Because that is where there was a lot of my work done.

How did you know that?—I know it is the wine district up there, and that is where a lot of my work is done.

Had you any information other than the general information that Mendoza was a wine district? Had you made enquiries about cooperage prospects in the Argentine before you went out?—No.

Mendoza is a long way up country?—Yes. I did not get the chance to go there, so that I cannot tell you anything about it.

Will you tell me why you wanted to go there in particular?--Yes, I wanted to

look for work.

for

Naturally, and the Argentine Republic said they were not going to pay you going up to Mendoza to look for work. Had anyone told you about Mendoza before you went out to the Argentine?--No.

How came you to hit upon Mendoza?-From enquiries I made in Buenos Ayres and people I met there. They told me I would have a chance if I went up there. I told them in the Labour Bureau to enquire there for me whether they would not send

me up.

Were you living in Edinburgh at the time you first saw the advertisement in the "Daily Sketch "-Yes.

Were you in employment there?—No.

When had you last been in employment?-April previous to that.

In Edinburgh ?—No, in Sydney.

When did you arrive home from Sydney?-June.

Had you been a cooper in Sydney?—Yes.

Why did you come home?I came home for a holiday.

Why did you not go back to Sydney after your holiday was over. Why did you choose the Argentine?-Because I thought I would do better in the Argentine.

Are you a Scotchman ?—I am.

They are rather a wandering nation, are they not?—I suppose they are. Had you any friends in the coopering trade in this country?—Yes. Did

you ask of them what sort of chance you would be likely to have in the

any

Argentine?-No.

Are you sure none of them said anything about Mendoza?--Not in this country. Had you read these pamphlets that Mr. Hetherington sent you ?—Yes.

I suppose you had seen from them that Spanish was the language of the country? Yes.

And that the best chances of employment were for those who could speak Spanish ?—Yes.

Was that true? That was really your difficulty in trying to get employment otherwise than through the Bureau; you could not speak the language?—That is so.

And you could not expect to learn it within a fortnight ?----No.

44

Re-examined by Mr. Comyns Carr.

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With regard to the language the pamphlet says: The best chances of employ- ment are, of course, for those who can speak some Spanish." Did you find any chance for those who could not, as far as you were concerned ?—No, I did not.

You were asked why you did not go back to Australia. As a matter of fact could have returned to the same employment that you were in in Australia ?—I

you could.

On reading these pamphlets, did you decide to try the Argentine instead of Australia? Yes.

The MAGISTRATE: Is Mendoza part of the Republic?—Yes.

Have you seen this document at all? (Handing a pamphlet with picture on front.) In this there is a distinct provision for transport at the expense of the Republic?

Mr. COMYNS CARR: Yes. That is on page 12 in the smaller pamphlet. Mr. RAEBURN: The point of my cross-examination upon that was that it does not say they are going to send people up the country to look for work, but they will pay the expense of sending them where they are wanted. If they have a choice of places where to go to and it is up-country, they will pay their fare. Of course this is the Argentine Consul's doing.

Mr. LEVI EVans, Sworn.

Examined by Mr. CoмYNS Carr.

Where do you live?-Seulham Farm, Woolfs Castle, Pembrokeshire.

In August last were you employed at Gorseinon!--Yes.

In what employment?-Galvanised sheet iron trade.

About what were you earning?-£2 to £3 a week.

Did you see the advertisement in the " News of the World "?--Yes. Having seen it, did you write to Hetherington's ?—Yes.

Will you look at that batch of pamphlets and tell me if they sent any of those

to you (handed) ?--Yes, I had all these.

Did you read them?—Yes.

After you had read them, did you believe that in the Argentine work was found for all by the State Labour Bureau ?—Yes.

I think you did not book a passage through Mr. Hetherington ?—No, I booked through Wainwright Brothers.

Where did you get their name from?-From the back of one of the pamphlets. My friend will admit that Hetherington is the agent for Wainwright Brothers, who are brokers for the ship?-I wrote direct to the Royal Holland Lloyd Company, and I got an answer from Wainwright Brothers.

Mr. RAEBURN: The explanation is that Mr. Hetherington is licensed by Messrs. Wainwright Brothers, who are passage brokers. Hetherington is not a passage broker, but he holds a certificate from Wainwright Brothers, which is countersigned by the Board of Trade. Messrs. Wainwright Brothers are the passage brokers.

Mr. COMYNS CARR: On some of the pamphlets it is stated that Wainwright Brothers are the brokers for the Royal Holland line.

Mr. RAEBURN: And for a number of other lines as well.

Mr. COмYNS CARR: Yes.

The MAGISTRATE: I understand he wrote to Hetherington ?

Mr. COMYNS CARR: Yes. I am not proceeding with the summons in this par- ticular case because for the moment the inducement is to emigrate, and the induce- ment, I submit, comes from Hetherington.

The MAGISTRATE: The answer on the other side may be, "If he came to us we might have told him something which would have induced him not to emigrate, but we never had the opportunity.'

Mr. COMYNS CARR: He received the pamphlet from Hetherington. The MAGISTRATE: Yes, but he never discussed the pamphlet with Hetherington. The others did.

Mr. COMYNS CARR: The others who lived in the country having read the pamphlet, all they did was to send the money, and in this particular case it was sent to the principal instead of the agent. I am not on the summons in this particular case, but merely proceeding to get the corroborative evidence at present. (To the witness.) Did you sail on the Zeelandia" on the 18th September? Yes.

When you arrived at Buenos Ayres, did you apply to the Labour Bureau ?—Yes. Did you stay the full 21 days, with the others? Yes.

How often did you apply?-Once every day, and sometimes twice a day.

How many Englishmen went out with you?-13 or 14.

Did any of them get work?-One; he got a job as a groom.

Did any others get any work?-One went down on spec. to Grispol, but I do not

know what happened to him.

Did they find any work for you?-No.

In addition to applying at the Labour Bureau, did you apply to railway com- panies?—Yes.

Did you get any work from them? No. I could not make myself understood. Then did you apply to the British Consul?—Yes.

Ultimately, did he send you home with the rest ?—Yes.