1914-11-03ui

“At this morning’s meeting of the board of control, Gordon Henderson, chairman of the relief committee, asked the board to discontinue the practice of paying civic employees by orders on the United Relief department.”

Hamilton Spectator.   November 5, 1914

It was a discussion that soon became quite headed.

The Hamilton United Relief association had been formed to co-ordinate relief efforts and distribute relief to the hundreds of Hamilton individuals and families in severe economic distress.

The prolonged business downturn which had begun more than a year before had resulted in extremely high unemployment, and the resulting destitution which so many Hamiltonians were facing.

The Hamilton United Relief association was a private, volunteer-run, agency that raised money and sought non-financial donations which would be given to those applying for assistance. Each application would require at least a rudimentary interview and possibly a home visit by a member of the association to ensure that the need expressed was real.

During a fund-raising campaign, the City of Hamilton donated $20,000.

The City of Hamilton had also responded to the economic difficulties faced by many Hamilton residents by providing work for the unemployed on various projects, such as the work to upgrade Beckett Drive, a former toll road which had been recently purchased by the city and which was in a poor condition.

What had drawn two members of the Hamilton Relief association’s executive, Gordon J. Henderson and H. C. Beckett, to City Hall for a meeting of the Hamilton Board of Control concerned how men working on city projects were being compensated for their labor.

Instead of being paid in cash, the City was giving the men vouchers which could be used to obtain food, coal or other needed items from the relief association :

“ ‘I don’t think it is right that the city should employ men in this way and put the question of settlement up to the relief department,’  said Mr. Henderson. ‘If it wasn’t for the United Relief fund, the city would have to dispense its own charity, and it has never before been the practice of paying laborers on city work in charity orders

“ ‘These men have got to have money to pay rent, gas bills, etc. and it is not right that the city gets public work done at the expense of the United Relief fund, which was not created as a treasury for payment of wages, but to help worthy people in need.

“ ‘You gave the United Relief department $20,000 and now you expect us to pay it back to you by paying the wages of men which should be paid in cash from the city treasury.’ ”¹

¹ “United Relief is Opposed to City’s Policy : Officer Had Lively Brush With Controllers”

Hamilton Spectator. November 5, 1914.

Hamilton Mayor John Allan toof offense with the statement made by Mr. Henderson:

“Mayor Allan – ‘Do you want the city to provide the unemployed with work, pay them cash for their labor, and then keep their families from the free supplies of the United Relief Department?’

“Mr. Henderson – ‘The trouble with you people is, you want to make a show by giving $20,000, get patted on the back for your generosity, and then get it all back again by having the United Relief pay your laborers in supplies’ ”¹

Mayor Allan angrily responded by saying that the City of Hamilton  was “not looking for any patting on the back as you suggest.

“Mr. Henderson – ‘Well, it certainly looks like it to me.’ ”¹

The mayor closed his portion of the discussion by indignantly stating that it would cost the City of Hamilton upwards of $200,000 over the course of the winter to pay the laborers brought on board to work on project such as that of the Beckett drive:

“ ‘The unemployed of Hamilton are demanding work, not charity. If we have to undertake to pay cash for all the work we are providing, then the work will have to stop.’ ”¹

Controller Tom Cooper came to the defense of the mayor, saying, “We are not looking for glory, and you cannot say such a thing here.”²

² “Says They’re Not Looking for Glory : Controller Cooper Objected to G. J. Henderson’s Remark”

Hamilton Herald. November 3, 1914.

After some intervention and questions from other members of the Board of Control, the matter was brought to a close by the time-honored method of telling the delegation that their position would be considered and referred to the city council as a whole to respond.

Mr. Henderson and Mr. Beckett then thanked the board for their attention to their concerns and left.