70


fit for heroes”, but a trade slump hit Dartmouth hard and ship visits fell from 800 to 500 p.a over 1919-21. Despite the Pool shareouts, Lumpers’ earnings collapsed and returned to pre-war levels of £1.50 a week. Unemployment was growing across Devon, and in October 1921 there were 200 unemployed in Dart- mouth. Unions and charities pressured the authorities for help and public work schemes were created to provide work and wages to a few, including further improvements to the South Embankment. Te Lumpers’ situation was desperate, over


half of them were unemployed, many relied on credit from local shops; others lived off mackerel caught by hand lines, or the unsalea- ble parts of fishermen’s catches. Teir housing conditions were basic: most tenement cottages were unlit, with no sanitation or running water. External pumps provided water and like the WCs, were cared for communally. At times like this, the Town Authorities opened the soup kitchen, and long queues formed twice weekly in the Market (though it still had to be paid for!). Evans & Reid and DCCo saw this as


an opportunity to change bunkering in Dartmouth. Tey said that they were not responsible for all the Lumpers, and could not be expected to set rates to support them all. Tey offered to employ just 50 men with a guaranteed wage of £1.50 a week, and a maximum of around £2.75. In addition, there would be no overtime, the Pool and Rota system would be dismantled, and the piecework rate would be reduced to 1d/ ton. None of the Lumpers applied for the jobs, and their Union responded with a demand to increase the rate to 3d/ton, and retain the Pool and Rota system. Tey were prepared to negotiate on overtime and some outdated conditions but needed a living wage. So Evans & Reid closed Dartmouth for bun- kering and directed shipowners to their other


St Saviour’s Court tenements, demolished in the 1930s.


situation was desperate...


Lumpers The


ports; it was the start of a long and bitter lock out, with both sides convinced of the rightness of their cause. Evans & Reid wanted DCCo to employ the men they wanted directly and not use the Pool and Rota system. Te Union argued that these men had built prosperity for Dartmouth and they deserved a living wage. Tey asked what was to become of the unwanted men who would be cast aside by “up to date, hell-born, commercialism”. Te men wanted to live together in “a fair and equitable social system”, and they would not give up the Pool and Rota agreement,


which was simply “putting into practice the princi- ples of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount”. DCCo refused to negotiate and put pressure on


workers in their other ports to carry on working. Te Dartmouth men who were locked out as part of a labour dispute did not qualify for Unemployment Benefit, and survived on charity and Union hand- outs.


In July 1922, aſter 9 months’ stand-off, the


Government arbitrated a 3 day meeting that ended with an agreement that favoured the DCCo. Mech- anisation was accepted; overtime would only be paid aſter midnight; and the piece rate was increased to a little above the opening offer of 1d: DCCo had reduced their labour costs by 50-60%. For the Lumpers, the Pool & Rota system was maintained, and entry to the pool restricted to sons of existing members. Te dispute was settled but it was the beginning


of the end: Dartmouth was battling against the trend to oil-fuelled ships, many of which were now too big for the Dart. As a result, bunker trade dwindled through the 1930s and the last ship was refuelled in 1950.


Soup kitchen in the Market,1920s Image courtesy of Dartmouth Museum


More details on the dispute can be found in Ivor Smart’s DHRG publication available at the Museum shop.


Image courtesy of Dartmouth Museum


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