Cape Breton's Magazine

of booze on the job. But you know, it's a funny thing--all the booze I saw on the job--not men around here, but around Syd? ney, one thing and another--they were still hardworking men, you know, (Did you like the job?) Oh yes, I had no hatred for the job, no, I liked the job. I was very fond of Abbie Neville. He didn't do anything for me or he didn't do any? thing against me, but he was a nice man to do business with, a nice man to have in charge--he was a nice man, yes. He was the kind of a man, he'd come around and talk to us just like you would, where there were fellows there before, they wouldn't even look at you, you know--the old-time fellows there. But he was a different fel? low. He was a wonderful man, there's no question about it. I couldn't say anything bad about him, and I don't know anybody that could. Abbie Neville: I'd say, "Go home, if you stay a week, but have a good one. And when you're able to come back, come back to work." And that's what they'd do. And you know, they'd go home. They never argued with me. They'd go home, and they'd be drunk. Perhaps their wife would call, "He's not working." I said, "Well, when he's sober, he comes back to work." First thing you'd see him coming back, had his head down a little bit first. That's the way I treated them, you know. I didn't go looking for them drunk and say, "You're fired, you got 10 days' suspension." But I'd say, "Go home, have a good one"--they know they're going to have a good drunk for two days, anyway. They didn't get paid. I'd generally meet them at the gate, 'cause I'd know when they were coming. (And you didn't fire a per? son?) No. Not in 47 years. So I can live with myself. Some of them could have been fired. But you know, I always look at that life. I mean--like one fellow I know, he'd work some time. He had 6 kids. And I felt if I fired him, I couldn't look at the kids again. No matter if he got two shifts a week, it was some? thing going home. And there's another fellow there, he wouldn't come to wo rk. kayvfay, s omeb o dy started looking at absen? tee cards. We started hir? ing new fellows on after the war, you know. New fel? lows full of vim and vig? our, wanting to get. So they picked out this fel? low, they said, "Bad rec? ord. You'd better do some? thing about it." I said, "Listen, you've got a bad record." I said, "What you've got to do now"-- he'd report off work every CONTINUED NEXT COLUMN Friday--Friday was payday--and he wouldn't work Friday or Saturday. I said, "From now on, when you report off work, you call from the hospital." 'Cause he used to go to Glace Bay and get drunk. So, sure e- nough. He'd go to St. Joseph's Hospital and get the nurse to dial for him, "This is St. Joseph's Hospital calling. He can't go to work tonight." They didn't know if he was in the hospital or not. That's the way I used to cover up for him. (You got your work done, though.) There was never a ship held up. The work was al? ways done. You can ask any shipper. They always sailed on Saturday. The work was al? ways done. They worked different. It's not the same breed of men now. It's not the same. They wanted to do their work. They were proud of their work. It's different today. (And you were saying that many of the sons of trimmers became trimmers.) Yes, at that time, they did. If your father worked on the Pier, you were pretty near going to work on the Pier. Because the jobs were passed down.. And that was passed, right up till the wartime. When you looked back. Midway Motors Ltd. HEAD OFFICE Middle River 295-2290 Now with Two Locations: NEW OFFICE 'w iNtw urriut ??s Port Hastings We've Been CHRYSLER Since 1926 (40) Saving or Borrowing? loin the League! League Savings and Mortgage means financial safety and security with the efficient and personal service you deserve. We offer high, guaranteed rates of return and the flexibility of annual, semi-annual or monthly paid interest. Join the League and take advantage of our complete range of financial services: Debentures Term Deposits RRIF RRSP Residential and Commercial Mortgage Financing 6074 Lady Hammond Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 453-4220 235 Charlotte Street, Sydney, Cape Breton, 539-8222 1645 Barrington Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 453-4220 Member Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation League Savings S Mortgage