FOREIGNERS AT HOME.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1735, 29 September 1917, Page 1

FOREIGNERS AT HOME.

A BIG PROMLEM AHEAD

The matter of foreign labour on (he avu ter front has been affecting not onlv Noav Zealand and Austra-

lia, but is of even more moment in (ho Homeland, if any reliance may bo placed on private correspondence. A master mariner has written from Liverpool, England, to a friend in Auckland, and this is what he says;—

“I Avill endeavour to put the state of tiling's hero he fore yon. As you know, when the war started, a large number of seamen were called up—R.N.R. men from the 'merchant service. Added to this is the large number of seamen who joined the army before conscription days. They joined in larger numbers than the British public arc aware, simply giving their occupation as ‘labourer.’ At that lime all ships wore running, and it meant a shortage of men for the merchant marine. That was a chance certain shipowners, officers and engineers had been a long time waiting for. They seized (lie opportunity; note how they worked it. When a ship was signing on they asked for a British crew, knowing the men were not available, as the best and bravest were away fighting on land and sea. This was in the early days of the war, and the ships had to go, so they signed on anything. That was unavoidable. Besides, they kept reminding that they had given Britishers first chance. Of course they did, when they knew they could not gel (hem.

“The result of this is that the" port is glutted with tire dregs of humanity. One company carried Kroo boys, AVest Const niggers. The ‘nigs’ did not go in any other ships then, and the wage they received was £-f a month. These ‘nigs’ soon discovered they could get on any boat they wanted at £9 a month. As a consef)uenee they deserted the boats of the original company by the score, and now they are pushing the white British seaman out. Of course, they are all union men, and get union pay, so they say we have no room to talk. Besides the ‘nigs’ we have the male population of the Philippines and the Straits Settlements, not forgetting those from the Celestial Empire and our Allies the Japs., all bent on ousting that much lauded individual, the British seaman, and succeeding only too well. Talk about after the Avar problems ; Ave are facing a problem noAv, and the seamen are not the only ones avlio arc suffering. These ‘coloured gentlemen’—they object to be called ‘nigs’: —are ovorvAvhere. Sug-ar-houses, Avarchouses, and in fact all big Avorks, and you Avould he surprised to see the number of Britishers out of work. I, for one, am firmly coimnced that the after the Avar problems aa’lll be the biggest thing, next to the Avar itself, that England has eA 7 or had to face.”