“Calls Road Men Slaves,” Border Cities Star. March 1, 1933. Page 2.
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T. P. Murray, M. L. A., Attacks Ontario Camp System
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Minister Replies.
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Enrolled at Own Desire And Get Equivalent Of $23 Month
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By Staff Reporter
TORONTO, March 1 - Government roads and other relief works are being built by "slave labor," Thomas P. Murray, South Renfrew Liberal, stated in the Legislature Monday. He was criticizing the government for low pay given men employed on these jobs.
A man in his home town had walked 88 miles to and from work, working 88 hours to get $8.80, he complained. "
TOO STINGY"
LAST year the government had been extravagant in its outlay on northern work camps. "This year it is too stingy," he said. He claimed that the 80-cent per day payment made by the government to caterers who fed and housed men employed last winter on the Trans-Canada Highway was excessive. "If the government had sent a shanty foreman, the cook or even the chore boy from one of my lumber camps they could have saved the government $1,500,000 on that job," he said.
Hon. William Finlayson, minister in charge of northern development. pointed out that the 80 cents had included payment to the caterers of their investment in cots, blankets and other supplies, as well as the cost of meals. Now that the equipment costs had been liquidated, the per day allowance had been reduced to 60 cents last summer and then to 50 cents.
ASKED BY MEN
Patiently and without any anger, the minister denied the "slave labor" claim by reviewing the history of the work camps of last year and the present "board camps."
Last year men had been recruited from all parts of Ontario and paid 30 cents an hour for the highway work. When the sum granted by the federal government to finance this work ran out in the spring of 1932 the Ontario Government was appealed to by some of the men to keep the camps going. These men said they were willing to work without pay, rather than have to use up what they had saved. It had been arranged to keep a few camps open.
By the end of last summer, homeless men had drifted into these "board camps" until the total in all camps reached 6,000 to 7,000. Last fall, it was realized that some help must be given these payless workers to supply them with winter clothing, and after arrangements with manufacturers to supply clothing at $18 a man. the men were given pay of $10 a month. This, with the cost of keeping them of $13 a month, meant they were getting $23 a month.
11,000 IN CAMPS
The total in these camps now is around 11,000.
Hearing of the treatment these men were getting, family men in a number of centres asked similar help, and were provided with relief work near home. Since they were living at home, they were provided with $23 a month, the same actual return as secured by the camp forces. They brought the total to 12,000.
Not a single man of the 12.000 had been solicited by the government to join camps or take the home jobs. All were doing it rather than be idle entirely, all were satisfied and all were doing excellent work, Mr. Finlayson reported to the House.
The fact that 12,000 are ready and willing to work on these terms shows we're being fair to them," he answered Mr. Murray.
The South Renfrew Grit also included in his speech objection to the $1,000 paid John Aird, junior.
