In the shed, there was what they called the shed, where all the
labourers mustered in the morning for jobs and they give you a
brass tally for 4 hours work and I never saw such ... you wouldn't
believe it, men fighting to get a brass tally for four hours work,
literally grabbing off. He used to come out with a great long brass
box all brass tickets in his arm like that, and he would stand on
the platform and there would be hundreds of the poor devils all
wanting a job, and he'd hand out tickets ... anyone ... and they
were grab grab grabbing to get half a days work, knocking each
others hats off, just like a lot of animals. Good God Almighty I
thought to myself, what a society, what a system, and ... come 5
o'clock when the men were coming out of the docks they'd save a few
sandwiches for the kids at the dock. Poor little kids with no boots
and stockings on ... 'any bread left, any bread left' ... that's
outside the docks and this is 1930.
