1941-08-16 — Page 8

GONE

ARE THE HORSE

AND CARRIAGE

And Gone with them are the

wrxing the carriage.

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of

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THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 16, 1941.

BRITAIN'S POWER

IS THE MORALE OF

WORKERS

(By Melita Spräggs),

LONDON OUT OF

YOU SEE BOUNDS

"WE'RE NEVER DULL HERE THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING INTERESTING TO LOOK FORWARD TO."

The War Office has placed Lon

the Army on leave, unless there are special reasons for going there. Avan

This seemed an amazing declaration from 17-don out of bounds for all ranks of year-old Mary Martin, working hour after hour, day after day, at the same monotonous little job on a power machine, in a factory employing more than 2,000 girls and men on war work in a large and much-raided town Somewhere-in-England.

come

3. Troops-will not be allowed to pass through. London-going on or returning from leave unless there is no alternative route.

The purpose of the restriction is to avoid congestion at the Lon- don railway stations and to re- lieve pressure on the railways.

Mary is guiding

Soldiers on week-end leave will the machine, the case of a very urgent contract; be restricted to a 90-mile radius which stitches just one part of a 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for five days and from their units. blue-jacket's jumper. The pile of half a day on Saturday are fac-of seven days will not be permit- A leave period dark blue serge glides to her on tory hours a 48-hour week for ted to start or end on Saturday મ conveyor-belt from the girl most of them. The girls earn from or Sunday. behind. She places It in her 355- to £4 a week on machine, A few whirs and her work,

piece- part on that particular garment is done. Back on the belt it goes and so

on to the girl in front. Thus it is carried from worker to worker in the long row sitting beside the moving belt, till three or four minutes after the cut-out) has been put on, it falls from the belt ut the other end, a complete farment, ready to be cleaned-up, finished-off and pressed.

What could there be "Inter. esting to look forward to?" I wondered; what could happen to break the monotony of these mechanical processos; what could drown the thunder of the incescant whirring of hundreds

of machines flying along at top speed? Five minutes later, I knew one thing at least.

Good Taste Shown

Most of the workers from

heavily-ralded districts and many havo lest their homes. Tho Directora have therefore arranged for them to live at the factory, day and night if they wish, and to bring their families and dependents as visitors for the nights.

YOUNG 'VETERANS' LEAD

At times there have been as many as 700 or 800 "sleeping-in" on bunks provided by the Direr- tors. Each section has Marshal.

its own canteen; concerts and community A Committee runs a singing are held in the

Men who are playing On the more serious side, lectures leading parts in the R.A.F.

theatre. and special study classes are held thrust are youthful vete-

in

cooperation with evening schools in the district.

rans of the Battle of Bri- The A.R.P. Committee arranges tain of September last. a fire-watching rota from the men

are

in residence. Watchers on Nearly all are in their floor in two-hour early twenties.

a

A voice from the loud-speaker gave out the news of a British naval victory. They would cele- duty on each brate with a few songs, the an-shifts. nouncer said. For a quarter of "Simmie the Welfare Super-

Wing-Commander A. G. Malun, an hour, drowning the clattering visor, has a busy time looking and a former sailor, now has

D.S.O., D.F.C., a South African, machines and the music from the after her big family. She super- tally of more than loud-speaker, rang out rollicking vises the kitchen and sees to the

.30. German sea chanties which echoed away preparation and cooking of more planes to his "credit. over the ruins which stretched than 800 canteen

Squadron-Leader Poland dinners each out around the building.

day and 2,000 tens each morning:

Tuck, D.8.0., D.FIC., a 24-year- and afternoon.

old veteran The workers all

of the Dunkirk have a 15-minute break in the

evacuation, has a score of 30: morning and afternoon, except

A youthful Canadian, Wing- I looked at Mary, the machinist the s'aff of cutters who have tea Commander Kent, D.F.C., is leader who had told me there was "sore- wheeled round to their benches of a squadron which recently shot thing interesting," and I realised on a trolley. Supervision of the down 20 German 'planes without that here was one thing she en- kitchen for so large a number is loss to itself. joyed. Mary was singing away no light task at any time, but lustily, her shuttle flying faster when gas is cut off after a raid, because she was happy.

as sometimes happens, it requires Factory music, which is given even more ingenuity. Intervals throughout the day is primus stoves and steam boilers chonen by a Committee of have to do duty instead of large workers on each floor. So that gas-cookers. everyone can have his or her|

quires EIRE-ULSTER BORDER

TO BE TIGHTENED

own choice at least some of the Arrange Own Activities

time.

(Continued from Page 6)

-

+

"And you would be surprised And Simmie" is always ready tailment of public services. As a what they choose." the Principal to discuss personal problems with sequel to all these troubles there Representative told me. "Of course any of the staff who feel they may be grave difficulties relating there are Bing Crosby followers-need help. She keeps in touch to public finance and administra- and those who always want it with the pensioners and with the tion. 'hot,' but the classics too are often boys who have joined the fighting and well represented in the music services. The workers give gener- chosen."

ously of their wages to send com- forts to these boys and the Direc- tors are never behind in supple menting workers' own efforts in this as In many other ways. A letter from. one of these boys. to "Simmie" telling her he was short of stampa resulted in all the boys being sent a five shilling book with their next parcel.

Passing to the next room where the white drilt shorts were being made for the Navy to wear in the troples I found the choruses be- ing taken up with equal vigour.

These are the workers who, be- fore the war, were making tailor- ed clothes for many of the well- known West End houses, and they are now working with the same care, exactitude and pride of ac complishment, on clothes for the fighting forces and others on na- tional service;

The industrial slump is responsible for the steady, drift toward Britain. Knots of un- employed at street corners are -reminiscent of Lancashire scenes ten years ago, people say. I heard of young men being still at school after reaching 21 years of age because there is no place for them in the labour market. So urgent has the fuel situation: become was told that soldiers have been called upon by the Eire The workers themselves ar Government to out peat in bogs range most of their activities work that has to be done in the through. committees. A.B.C. and next few months since it is im- E. are the chlef ones-A.R.P., possible to do in the wet weather. the civil defence arm; B, the Before the war only peasants Blankets.committes to look burned turf in their homes, but after bedding. In the air raid from now on its use is becoming shelter; C, the Comforts; and E general in cities and towns. The entertainments,

aim, is” to “break all records for "Gee, there you've hit one of |-~-

peat production by digging four our biggest problems," he said. The Entertainments Committee million tons of it declared to be "but not in the way you think, is kept busy for concerts have equivalent in fuel value to half It's the hardest job in the world become an important part of fat that number of tons of coal for to get these workers to change tory life. Every Wednesday on which the standard price in Eire even their machines. They get to the stage in the long, light room is now three pounds fourteen know all their little ways and on the top floor which serves as shillings a ton against three pounds they get quite fond of them. It's canteen, artists come from three shillings in England. speed speed speed nowadays, EN.S.A or CEMA, to play and with the soldiers, the sailors, the sing to the workers in their lunch-

At the suggestion that they might find it simulating to have a "generat post now and again +--do different jobs, the Repre

sentative chuckled,

airmen, the postmen, the railway hour Six hundred can sit down them have appeared in B.B.C. workers, the firemen the bus con- at each of the two lunch shifts Radio Discoveries." ductors (and the conductresses) "They enjoy it all, high-brow, Seems to me they'll miss this. -millions of them all wanting low-brow. They seem to appre-community life quite a bit when new uniforms, And the workers clate the classical music of things go back to normal," the enjoy going faster and faster. It's CEM.A as they do the comedy Representative observed thought- a mehsure of their success and slap-stick and variety turns of fully as he stood on the empty of the size of their pay envelopes E.N.S.A." the Representative told stag the theatre in the shelfer at the end of the week, you me. He himself was in show husi- OR

tory which has never

see it's tough work getting them ness 'Down" Under":ï for some had a

to do a new job. It's an man's rise for a time and we have to subsidise" them: until they get quicle at the now work."

Many Workers Homeless

The manageme

however, does ine, except. Ir

years, so he sees that they get the best prople “Midly well-known B.B.C, artists, and famous tinge bave rappenred before apprecia tive audiences at the factory bo during the day in the canteen, and at night down on the little black-curtained stage which has

the ervice

ht#fol

been fitted up in the air raid shel-fighting ter They can always produce most l'home- talent.” o, and some of Lagainst Nazism

onawar

some of the the line-up