JUNGLE CAMPS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 315, 31 August 1932, Page 6

JUNGLE CAMPS

u.s. unemployed CONDITIONS -IN AMERICA AND CANADA TO-DAY. CHRISTCHURCH MAN'S EXPERIENCE. Christchurch, Monday. Four years ago Mr. L. J. Graham, of Christchurch, decided that' while New Zealand was all very well in its way, he would like to see something of the world outside. And so, having enough money to get to Canada, but not much more, off he went. Now he is back in Christchurch, having acquired, in four years spent in the advertising and selling business in Canada and the United States, a slightly American accent and a lot of useful experience. Mr. Graham set sail in April, 1928. He left the steamer at Vancouver, and after spehding some time th'ere went on to Calgary, to Banff, to Toronto, and to several other towns in Canada. Then the United States called to him. He stopped off at Minneapolis, St. Paul, Chicago, and New York. From New York he went to London, before returning to New Zealand. "The big department stores in Canada give a complete service," he told a Sun reporter. "They will sell you anything, 'even an automobile, and will arrange the catering and service for a party. They put on '8.30 sp'ecials' to get the crowd into the store first thing in the morning — they figure that the girls behind the counter will do the rest. The 'specials' are changed at intervals during the day — later they will bring on the '10.30 specials' and so on. These stores observe a six-day week, both in Canada and the States — there is no half-holiday except for a couple of months in summer, during the warm weather." "Things are very bad over in the States, but people are not actually starving unless they are too proud to go and get fed. Most of the food is distributed by means of bread lines, with the people filing past a clot in the wall, where girls hand out coffee and dough-nuts. I did not see any square meals given. There are missions that give out food too, but it's mostly a bowl of soup, or something like that — there's nothing heavy about it. These soup kitchens and other P'laces only function in the winter — the authorities figure that the men can do work of some kind in the summer. Some of them work on farms just for their board." "On the outskirts of some towns in the States there are what they call 'jungle camps' of unemployed. Generally they're by the >edge of a river. Then men live in rough shelters made of old tents, sacks, or anything of that kind, and they beg or steal their food. These camps are not held in favour by the city authorities — they get the people out of town as soon as • they can. There are no disturbances to speak of over there — the police force is pretty efficient." "The people over there don't know much about this part of the world. They think you can walk from Australia to New Zealand over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 'Way down under' is the universal term for Australia and New Zealand." "Wage-cuts are universal, both in the United States and Canada — they vary from 10 per cent, to 20 per cent., aecordmg to the wrnge or salary received. Jbirms that had been estabnsnea for many years have faned uv eringa t. iNevertheiess, both in tne uniLeu btates and Uanacia they are very opumisucj tney thuik ihooe countrres are gomg to be the hrst uut ox tne siump. ihey iteep preuy quiet aoouc unemployment, and. try ».o heac up prosperity as much as they can. They have 'Prosperity Weexs' — ' Happy days are here agam,' and all that stuif." "Over in Canada and the States they worh longer liours than they do here, and there are not nearly so many unions. I worked for an oii company m Toronto that had 22,000 service stations throughout Canada and the Onited States. fts employees worked seven days a week, and the omy holiday they got in the year was Ohristmas Day. Life in New Zealand is easy compared 'with over there. Here the people live as they work, you might say, but the idea over there is ro work like hell, get some money, ana take it easy afterward." "On the street cars in Toronto they have a fiat fare system. You pay as you enter, and the fare is the same for one block as for 10 miles." "The liquor control system in Canada works well. You have to pay two dollars for a permit, which lasts you a year, and then you go to a bottle stone, buy what you want, and take it home. If they think you are buying too much they shut down on you. You are only allowed one purchase daily, no matter if it is a two-dollar or a hundred-dollar purchase." "The automobile factories are not working at all— they've shut right down. There are fewer cars on the roads there now. When times were good they used to buy a new car every year, but now they're running them two and three years, perhaps longer."