A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46
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HOME INTELLIGENCE
SPECIAL REPORT on the MERSEYSIDE and CLYDESIDE
FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY
This special report is the result of an investigation made during June 1941, into the welfare of merchant seamen on Merseyside and Clydeside. If is, of course, purely subjective, and is limited in scope. Its accuracy is inevitably determined by the accuracy of the persons interviewed. A list of sources is given at the end of the report.
THE POOL .
The setting up of the merchant seamen's pool is generally agreed to be a great advance in the welfare of merchant seamen. In spite of the revolutionary nature of the change, the men appear to be content with it, though it is thought that some do not understand it and that others are not disposed to take it seriously; this was exemplified by the fact that there were 50 absentees in Glasgow in the first fortnight after its introduction. A welfare officer pointed out that, while the regulations must be enforced, the men had to be approached reasonably and patiently, since the pool was a break with a tradition affecting the seamen's whole outlook on life; in the past he has been accustomed to taking weeks, or even months, on shore at a time; then he would come back to sea when his money gave out, or else live on public funds on the excuse that he could not find work, (though usually it was the work that could not find him). Six days leave after three months at sea may seem generous in these days of curtailed holidays, but on a ship there are no free weekends and no cinema or pub at the corner for the evenings.
There have been complaints that some men have lost part of their leave owing to customs delays, or through having to travel long distances to their homes. Other difficulties arise from the fact that some men are superstitious about picking their own ship, while others dislike sailing with certain companies. There is also a belief that reliable men may be kept continuously employed, while others draw money for nothing; this is unlikely to happen in Glasgow, however, where the demand for men tends to exceed supply, and where it has not always been possible to get the normal crews for ships that now dock in the Clyde, instead of the South Coast ports.
Officials administering the pool were handicapped by having only 48 hours notice of the scheme. It was difficult to reorganise offices in the time and, as a result, men in Liverpool were kept standing in queues for hours and received a bad preliminary impression. In Glasgow an attempt was made to avoid this. In both places staff were seriously overworked, especially as they were not provided with sufficient forms.
ACCOMMODATION IN PORT
In both Liverpool and Glasgow the increase in shipping, and abnormal conditions resulting from bombing and wartime re-organisation, have lead to a shortage of accommodation. In Liverpool various missions run hostels. The Sailors' Society have one known as the “Dogs Home”, an apt name for a gloomy, cubicled building with few amenities. A Free Church Hostel scheduled to hold 250 was recently found to contain over 600 men. (It was alleged that the overcrowding was allowed because of the profits made). The Mersey Mission have opened a temporary Hostel Annexe, and have also a hostel in Birkenhead, where they are so short of room that camp beds have to be put down in the main hall at night. Plans for a bigger hostel were suspended owing to the outbreak of war.
[Text missing] shipwrecked crews, and the fact that some are brought over as passengers and are waiting to man new ships. At one time only the lowest class of common lodging house would admit them and they lived in deplorable conditions, in spite of the fact that the companies (who hire them at £4 a month on an eighteen month contract) undertake to provide “suitable accommodation”. Now however, the Indians have been collected into two main hostels, the largest being an adapted workmen's hotel at Coatbridge, which can take 700. There is an Indian manager brought from London. The men get the food they like, there are cubicle bedrooms, and washing and lavatory arrangements in accordance with the conventions dictated by their religion. A billiard room is to be adapted as a mosque. There is a large recreation room and the Queen has made an allotment to the Indian Comforts Fund.
There are no Chinese or West Indian Seamen in Glasgow, and any that may arrive are sent to other ports.
Accommodation in Glasgow for European Seamen includes the “Sailors Home” (100 beds) and the “Seven Seas Club” (120 beds). This has been started since the war; it has a restaurant and is run on a non-profit making basis. There are other lodging houses and some men prefer “digs”, though these tend to be expensive and put a strain on the resources of crews passing through, for whom there is often no other lodging available. Accommodation is especially short at weekends, or when shipwrecked crews are unexpectedly landed.
GENERAL WELFARE, RECREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT
1. There are now Port Welfare Officers in both Liverpool and Glasgow, and in Glasgow a Port Welfare Committee. Though few canteens and clubs for the Services admit Merchant Seamen, it is generally agreed that the feeling of exclusion is less marked than in the last war. The Merchant Seamen badge is becoming recognised.
Organisation such as the Mersey Mission run recreation rooms and canteens. We were interested in the mixed entertainments and dances sponsored by the Catholic “Apostles of the Sea”. Girls act as hostesses to visiting seamen, and there is a happy, healthy atmosphere. It seems that more such places are needed. It has been suggested that properly conducted entertainment huts should be set up along the docks. It is also possible that if Missions could overcome their reluctance to allowing beer on the premises they would be better able to compete with the public houses.
2. A good deal of trouble is caused by the large sums of money earned by foreign and allied seamen as a result of war bonus added to generous rates of pay. They are unable to send money to their families and are very careless with it. There are frequent cases of men being robbed, sometimes of as much as £70 or £90 in an evening. If a scheme could be devised by which the various consuls could bank the money until after the war, and make the men a wartime shore allowance, it would be most helpful.
At present too much is spent on drink. Norwegians are said to be particularly unable to stand up to the Scottish custom of whisky followed by beer, and to become quarrelsome and difficult.
In Glasgow large numbers of allied and foreign seamen are said to obstruct the staircases of their various consulates, mostly with the idea of meeting and talking with each other. To avoid this nuisance and provide for an obvious need the Hospitality Committee (consisting of various Seamen's Missions and the Local Authority) is to open a recreation centre with a canteen, where the various nationalities will have their own club rooms and newspapers.
3. The easy money also attracts prostitutes from other cities, who are a problem to the authorities. (Concern was also expressed at the extreme youth of some of the local girls who took to the streets in the blackout.) In Glasgow there is said to be a 100% increase in known cases of venereal disease - though the increased number of men in the port must be remembered. The Scottish Council of Social Service has suggested making notification compulsory, but has not been sanctioned by the Department of Health, since it raises difficulties in connection with the liberty of the subject. There are large numbers of clinics, and notices about treatment printed in all languages are posted in the ships.
4. The Indian Seamen in Glasgow now have an Indian Welfare Officer, appointed by the High Commissioner for India. As most of them are illiterate and also unable to speak English they are helpless about such things as filling in forms and making claims. The Welfare Officer is, however, too busy to give much attention to matters of this kind. The improvement in living conditions has been described. It is hoped that the next advance will be the appointment of an Indian doctor, who could have a surgery in the office of the Welfare Officer. Medical attention is at present given by the Companies' doctors some of whom are alleged to be unsympathetic and careless. There are said to be many cases of distress caused by the ship's steward not calling the doctor when necessary, and of the companies turning a deaf ear to appeals. An improvement has already been made in this direction as the Welfare Officer is now able to send men to hospital for examination. If they are admitted as in-patients, the companies pay the bill and the hospital treatment is excellent.
Indians are said to like the Ministry of Information news sheet, but would be better pleased if it contained more about India. They give no trouble to the authorities and are said to be “well-behaved, humble and loyal.”
MISCELLANEOUS COMPLAINTS
It was said that shipwrecked crews sometimes feel neglected on landing, if there is no-one to meet them, and no arrangements for providing food and clothing, or even cigarettes. This has been improved. It was suggested that companies should be urged to send a representative to meet such crews, so that they could be given part of their pay. They are sometimes kept short of money for a long time while records are checked.
There were also complaints about the system of dealing with the dependents of missing men, and the paying of pensions, although some improvements have been made. The following complaints are still heard (if some are now unfounded, this is not generally recognised by the men):-
1. When a man not employed by the Shipping Federation is missing, the government pay an allowance to dependents through the P.A.C. until the details of the case are known and it can be taken over by the appropriate authority. The allowance is sometimes thought insufficient, and distress is accentuated by having to go to the P.A.C. to fill in forms and answer questions about means. An informant said that nine out of ten applicants were upset by this. It was suggested that a better arrangement would be for the allotment to continue until the final disposal of the case can be settled; but it is thought that the shipping companies would not consider this unless the expenses were covered by the government. If the dependents must continue to be thrown on public funds it would seem better if the money could be paid through the Assistance Board, which is known to deal with wartime problems. The pensions are also low and Social Service Societies report that special hardship is felt by widows of senior officers with fairly high salaries, who may suddenly find themselves reduced to 30/- a week.
Some relatives are still under the impression that they can claim compensation from the Shipping Companies.
2. There is a feeling that some companies attempt to avoid their obligations. Some officers complained that their rights under their articles were never automatic, and that one application was seldom sufficient, with the result that they sometimes got tired of writing and let the matter slide. This, they presumed, was the idea.
3. Some officers also complained that they had been forced to accept payment in lieu of holidays, and some had not had, a break for two years.
4. Living conditions on British merchant ships are compared unfavourably with standards of comfort on American vessels. The cooks are often said to be incompetent and untrained, with the result that much food is thrown overboard as uneatable. Rations seem to be lavish, and it is reported that men often offer butter etc for sale, having already had as much as they want for themselves. The waste on the ships is talked about by civilians in the ports and is thought to have a bad effect on morale. Besides the sale of food there are instances of men selling sweaters and other “comforts” to friends on shore.
5. Merchant seamen grumble about the price of cigarettes, as the bond does not operate in port, and Liverpool coastal steamers are said to be unable to get any cigarettes from bond. Naval gunners on merchant ships complain about not getting free postage for letters.
6. One other grievance is that some companies still insist on the 8 hours a week for “care and maintenance” over and above the regular 56 hours; others no longer demand this.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the points which appear to call for special emphasise for consideration are:-
1. The disreputable and unhealthy conditions of certain common lodging houses.
2. If the men are allowed a little latitude and time to adjust to the pool (which means a big break with tradition) it should prove most popular.
3. Allied and foreign seamen: have too much cash at their disposal, and not enough recreation is provided.
4. Difficulties about pensions, etc, and the suspicion of being exploited tend to give merchantmen a sense of neglect, especially when their position is compared with that of the men in the Royal Navy.
It is felt that conditions are, in fact, improving and the hard and successful work of welfare officers and certain missions is most impressive.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
1) LIVERPOOL
1. Mr. Buchanan. Port Welfare Officer.
2. Rev. Wyndham Johnson. Mersey Mission. (Seamen)
3. Rev. John Walmsley. Mersey Mission (Coasters)
4. Mr. McCann. Shipping Federation.
5. Mr. Winfield. Shipwrecked Mariners Society.
6. Priest in Charge of Apostles to the Sea Mission
7. Rev. Noel Esther. Mersey Mission.
8. Visits to three Boarding Houses.
9. Visit to Apostles of the Sea Club for Seamen.
10. Visit to Mersey Mission Officer's Club.
11. Visit to Polish Coaster.
12. Visit to Coaster, Steam Navigation Co.
2) GLASGOW .
13. Mr. McLuckio, Mercantile Marine Office.
14. Mr. Burns. Port Welfare Officer.
15. Mr. Tangri. Indian Welfare Officer
16. Mr. Jackson. Shipping Federation.
17. Rev. Daly. Mission to Seamen (& two helpers)
18. Representative of City Line.
19. Contractor and the Manager for the Indian Hostel.
20. Mr. Manson. Seaman's Union.
21. Capt Laird. Sailor's Home.
22. Visit to Hostel for Indian Seamen, Coatbridge.
23. Visit to Seven Seas Club.
There were also interviews in both cities with the Local Authorities, Police, Social Service Societies, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Labour Managers, Assistance Board Officers, etc.