1914 Jan 20 Unemployed Question at Board of Control

“Serious charges in regard to the overcrowded condition of the city lodging houses and complaints of unfair treatment on the city’s stone pile were made before the board of control this morning by some of the unemployed.”

Hamilton Spectator. January 20, 1914¹

The politicians and staff at Hamilton City Hall were grappling with ways to help the distress among the many, many members of the unemployed ‘army’ in the city in January 1914.

The local Salvation Army was trying to assist as well. The Salvation Army operated a lodging house providing shelter and a breakfast for those out of work and out of proper places to sleep. The City of Hamilton had provided some paid employment at the municipally owned quarry on the mountain side.

On January 20, 1914, a meeting of the Hamilton Board of Control was scheduled. While there was nothing about the unemployment situation, a noisy group of unemployed men entered city hall, and blocked the corridor leading to the board room where the meeting was to be held.

The unemployed had complaints to make and the controllers agreed to hear them.

First target for the complainers was the Salvation Army’s lodging house where it was claimed that because of overcrowding, some men were required to sleep on the concrete floor of the basement :

“ ‘If this condition of living does not lead to an epidemic of illness of some kind, I will be very much surprised,’ one of the speakers declared.”¹

¹ “Concrete Floors As Beds for Poor Men : Controllers Are Told Many Tales of Privation : Favoritism Alleged in Work at Stone Quarry”

Hamilton Spectator. January 20, 1914

Another speaker on the lodging house matter was equally disturbed by condition there :

“ ‘It is warmer in the police station,’ he said, ‘and I tried to get in there but it was always filled up. I tried to get sent down to jail a couple of times, but without result.’ ”¹

As the regards the work being provided at the city quarry, also referred to as the municipal stone-pile, the complaints related to favoritism. Some workers were given tasks for which they were being paid 22 hours an hour, while others working alongside of them, doing much the same work, were only getting 22 cents an hour.

The board of control members and the mayor claimed that there was nothing that they could do about the matter:

“ ‘I saw this coming,’ the mayor said, ‘’and anticipated that there would be trouble on this point. Unfortunately, we can’t put you all on day work. We’re simply trying to give each of you a little employment. We don’t want that stone. We could have it broken up by a crusher in a quarter of the time and at less than a quarter of the cost, and we are simply doing this to provide some work.’ ”¹

The mayor would prefer an alternative to paying men 22 an hour for doing work not needed. The mayor thought it better to simply give the money out as charity:

“ ‘This word charity appears to be very much misunderstood, anyway,’ he said. “I don’t think it is any disgrace for a man to be poor or to accept anything if he is in need of it, so long as it is given with a good heart. There was a meeting of a large and prominent committee last night to deal with this unemployment question and there will be another one tonight. In the meantime, all I can say to you men is that we will do all we can to find work for you, but I do not know of anything at this time outside of the civic quarry.’ ”¹

With that the meeting of the board of control went forward with its agenda items, while the unemployed men left the board room as dissatisfied and they were when they entered.