IN CHAMBERS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 236, 7 January 1888, Page 7

IN CHAMBERS.

The London common' lodging-house of th better sort 'is now called " chambers." I has 1 been described often enough in thenewspapers; bub the lodger foy a single nighfc, r the '" inquirer," however shabbily made up for the occasion, is always^ suspected and excluded fronr the inner circle. Unfortunately for me,- 1 belong to the inner circle. X have lived in chambers now for the past three weeks. One night, tired and hungry, with only a single sixpence in my pocket, I turned away from the traffic and glare of High Holborn down a silent by-street, attracted by the word " chambers " glaring in white letters from a red lamp. As this is considered a fair specimen of the common lodging- house', I give a description of what I taw and heard tho first night, supplemented by what I learned afterwards. 1 entered, and to the left found the common sitting, or, as it is called, tho reading-room — although the only literature it contained consisted of some three or four newspapers. I inquired for the " deputy," and was introduced to a gentleman who was known as "Mac." Mac is ever ready to shake hands, cmck a joke, or drink " half a pint " with anyone^ flo angled skilfully but unsuccessfully with me for this half-pint ; whispering in a confidential manner that he had reserved a good bed for me--" a reet quid bed."' _ I told him I had only sixpence, or I would treat him for his kindness. "Oh ! are you stony?" he asked, turned on his heel, and went in quest of other arrivals who were not stony A strangely mixed assemblage occupied the rcadingrroom. The broken-down tradesman rubbed shoulders with the professional tramp ; the shabby-genteel but honest out-of-woik clerk was in conversation with the, professional pickpocket. Seated together, apart are four drapers' assistants, some months out of work, who in a short time have sunk by rapid gradations from the cheap hotel to the five shillings-a-week coffeehouse, and at last down to "chambers." The story of these men is all the same. In London the agreement generally entered into between draper and assistant is that such agreement may be terminated at a moment's notice by either party. Slack trade often obliges the employer to reduce the number of his hands, and some must go. ' There are four of; these men here. At the small hotel, ancl again' at the coffee-house lodging, it was their daily custom to go round from shop to shop, often makirig f in a single day's tour 1 a circuit of ten or fifteen miles. Two of the four are now selling string on commission j the others are canvassing for portraits. Near these unfortunate drapers, but in a group to themselves, sit some halfdozen men converaingvolubly with tongue and hand. They are Frenchmen who Mill stay here for a night or two and then drift away. Around three or four tables at the furthest end of the room sit draught and card parties, playing for halfpence or pots of beer or bits of tobacco. The table in the centre of the room is in the exclusive possession of "wrapperwriters," or writers of addresses for tradesmen. The din and ' clatter all round distracts them not; address after address, copied from a directory, is written with great rapidity. They are among the most hard- worked and the worst-paid class of men in existence. They must write in a, neat clerky hand addresses on 1,000 wrappers for 3s ; sometimes the rate of pay is much lower. To write this number requires constant application from 8 o'clock in the morning till 10 at night. The persons so employed are often men of good education who have " seen better days." The proprietor of the place is a nonresident, and only attends at intervals during the night to collect the money. About 8 o'clock a burly personage, with a gaoler's voice, enters. "I'm going to the office ; come, now, all you fellows, turn ur> with the cash." All who have the necessary sixpence respond to the summons, myself amongst the number ; some few remain seated, whisper amongst themselves* and look despondent. This, however, is only the first summons ; but if something; unlooked-for does not turn up before midnight they will be obliged to go out into the streets. Some of them are the mosfa respectably dressed of the whole lot, At the last summons to " the bar," as the payoffice is termed, the moneyless, or " stonebroke," had to turn out. Amongst them was a shabby reckless-looking young tramp with a wizened old-mannish face, who, as he departed, sang : '• Hail, rain, wind, or snow, Pay me my tanner or out you go." Down in the kitchen all day long, up to 10 p.m., cooking is going on. A large fire (every common lodging-house keeps a fire thab would roasfc an ox) is surrounded with pans and teapots. Many of the latter are without lids, in place of which a piece of paper, weighed down with a cinder, is .substituted. The greater number of the regular lodgers havo "lockers," or little lock-up cupboards, where they stow away provisions. Going to bed afc night nearly all are penniless ; yet, strange to say, many of them are cooking meat or brewing tea ab breakfast-time, and the same thing happens at dinner and tea time. After breakfast? they scatter away, and in due time return; with enough food for a meal. Those who sit apart from the fire, foodless, are the more respectable ones — men who are ashamed to beg. In the better-class lodginghouse, the beds are like soldiers' cots, and fairly clean. A certain number are allotted to' each room, in accordance with police regulations. But it is safer for a new-comer to sleep in them divested of his underclothing ; indeed, most of the old hands sleep in this manner. It is still better not to sleep in common lodging-house beds ab all if it can be helped. But that, indeed, is advice that need not be given. Nobody does pass his nights in a common lodginghouse except from stern necessity.

' -Green Tomato Pickle.—Two gallons of sliced, tomatoes, one gallop of strong cider 1 Vinegar, Wo quarts of sliced, onions, two pounds of sugar, ' half-pint white mustard seed/four tablespooneful ground bustard, two of ground allspice, two,, of black pepper ground fine, one of ground cloves, two of celery seed, two of coriander seed pounded fine, two of ground cinnamon. Put the tomatoes to soak over ,night in. weak salt water j [ next morning wash and drain, them ; put them in the kettle and sprinkle> \ the sugar and splices and, onions in among ; the slices; ,pour the ( vinegar over them,,' arid ,cOok one- hour, stirring often to prevent , burning. 1 Ke©P ; in g}asß jars, with tight , cover's., ti„ ' / .','."

, "White Wyandoi;tes. T-We?learn thatr Mr Alfred, Bluck, oxiepf tjie first t importers , *qf.Wyan'dotteV t6 !i NeW Zealand, has tnis ' Eeason' reared 1 " Wo. pullets ""orf r this, breed which 'a^e'tefe6ily^rhite' s i 1 »! colour. ''Tot soiSieHinfe^fiait' iii ' AmeVic'a White Wyaii] [$<fttW M/e b6etf fere^^tfTl^Vdfertise'd; Although theyhave not yet, so'far'a'^Ve'fiffe tiware^fbpen, admitted into.,tiie sUnddrdcof br^e'd. fhajpenow in our own yard a two yearrol'd pure T^doJitecQok?bted l byjM'r. TAH 'B.g HiljljoJfT-^JUckl^ndr ,-O£. ieourfefeii these 'wftta{i]b^3/^apft!ii^portsiftlindr'couldf ntotM e^gQt^^ft-hieie^ji^^p feather 'for 6e^€rajgenerfitiona,,but no doubt, bjif .mating n^ l »Whiteii^pe(i}idieriBUogetherjf4 a established without much difficulty.