For the month of May, I thought it would be interesting to post up Occupation reports written on the work done by the Jersey Department of Labour, as these delve into the fine grain of the German Occupation and how the Island coped with people, though no fault of their own, being unable to work because their businesses were no longer operating.
It is, of course, something which haunts us today, as something similar has happened with the pandemic, where people again have been laid off, or their employment has gone into a form of stasis due to the Covid lockdowns. Different times call for different solutions, but the problems faced in some respects are similar.
There was a special report made on the New North Road, constructed during the Occupation to provide work for islanders.
Report On The Construction Of The North Coast Road Under The Department Of Labour.
NOTE.
18th June, 1945.
Since preparing the following report in July, 1944, another year has passed during which construction work -on the North Coast Road has passed through its most difficult period. Supplies of new or second-hand tools and materials were unprocurable, also proper fuel for blacksmiths and welding work for repairing broken and worn-out tools and drills for quarrying work.
Owing to the lack of petrol, the transport of labour and the haulage of materials had to be dealt with by producer, gas-driven Lorries and horses, with lost time mounting up daily through breakdowns.
Also the constantly reducing food rations and lack of adequate clothing for the men seriously reduced the output of work by the labour employed.
During the first half of the past winter the average number of men employed per week was fifty-two, and during the second half, up to the date of the Liberation of the Island, only thirty-seven.
Owing to the foregoing difficult conditions for our constructional work and the reduction in the number of men employed, the progress of the work has been slow.
Cyril W. Rice.
North Coast New Road Scheme
The construction of the North Coast New Road is essentially a States’ scheme for providing work for the unemployed of a nature that can be undertaken, under trained direction and supervision, by men from all classes both skilled and unskilled, who are physically able to handle a “pick and shovel,” and with the use of very limited and diminishing supplies of plant, tools, materials and transport.
The restrictions enforced by the German Authorities on the employment of labour and the use of essential materials have thrown many men out of work, and the policy of the Department of Labour has always been to immediately find alternative employment for these men, chief consideration being given to keeping men in employment on useful work approved by the Department.
Many of the men employed on this new road have never had to do pick and shovel work before, and the majority have had no previous experience on road construction or other public works.
In the planning and laying out of the road, main consideration has had to be given to the undertaking of the work with the class of labour available, the lack of plant and materials essential for economical road construction work, and the very restricted transport facilities. Work of a skilled nature, involving the use of heavy masonry, concrete, steelwork, etc., has had to give place to unskilled “pick and shovel” work. No mechanical diggers being available to carry out the heavy excavations, all excavation work has had to be dealt with by hand, and all haulage of excavated material done by man and horse power, with the help only of a few lengths of narrow gauge rails and waggons.
The removal of solid rock and the hard compact gravel met with in excavating the cuttings has had to be carried out entirely by man power, assisted by hand drilling and blasting, as no mechanical appliances or compressed air drilling plant have been available for this work. This quarrying work has also been considerably hampered on account of the limited supplies of explosives obtainable. These remarks apply also to the working of the Quarry at La Saline from which the stone has been procured for the masonry work, road bottoming, kerbing, etc.
Owing to the necessity for giving Agricultural work prior consideration with regard to labour, farmers have been able at any time to give short notice calls for Agricultural workers for essential farm work. This provision has unavoidably interfered with the organisation of the labour and the continuity of the work on the new road, the Agricultural worker being the best class of labour for the road construction work, and the calls being for fine weather periods only.
Under the foregoing conditions, together with the meagre food rations, the necessary payment of wages for all working time lost due to inclement weather (a very considerable item during the winter months on the exposed North Coast, at times during the bad weather reaching as high as 40% of the total working hours per week), also the loss of time due to frequent unavoidable breakdowns in the transport services taking the men to and from the .work. These two items of lost time alone, taken together, have reached as high as 29% of the total working hours per week, during the best working period, the summer months of the year.
It will at once be seen that it has not been possible to consider the undertaking of this scheme on an economic basis, but rather as productive relief work for the unemployed, originated to assist in keeping down unproductive expenditure on unemployment by the States, and last but not least, to assist in maintaining a standard of morale amongst those workers thrown out of their regular employment, and without other means, in accord with the dictates of their conscience, of supporting themselves and their families.
Description and Progress of Work.
When this new road was first planned it was anticipated that employment might have to be found at short notice for from two to three hundred men thrown out of work. Survey work was therefore pushed ahead along the cliffs between La Saline and Mourier Valley, in St. John’s Parish, covering a total distance of two and three-quarter miles, following as closely as possible the old cliff footpaths.
The survey and location work was commenced in October, 1940, and the final plans were approved by the Department some seven months later.
The Department adopted a twenty feet wide road capable of carrying heavy Charabanc and ’Buses, with a four feet wide footpath for pedestrians along the sea side of the roadway. Work was commenced in February, 1941, some eight months after the German Occupation of the Island, and it was decided to open up the section of the new road between La Saline and Sorel first, a length of about one and a half miles of new road, and to follow on with the second section between Sorel and Mourier Valley later, as labour conditions indicated.
It was not possible to deal with the acquisition of the land required for the new road prior to the opening up of the work, consequently farmers continued with the cropping of their cultivated land, and the procedure of the whole work had to be so arranged as to await the maturity and removal of essential crops on cultivated areas, this reflected adversely on the continuity of the opening up of the work.
It might be mentioned here that the Department of Labour has adopted a farsighted policy in land acquisition, by negotiating to acquire all uncultivated cliff land between the sea and the new roadway, thus reserving this natural beauty spot for the use of the Public of the Island for all time. "
The first work to be undertaken was the construction of the two masonry culverts carrying the streams and surface water drainage under the heavy embankments at Grand Mourier and Sorel. These works being of a skilled nature were carried out first, by Contract, in order that the unskilled work of forming the embankments over the culverts could follow as soon as the unemployed labour became available.
Work with unemployed labour commenced in April, 1941, and during the remainder of this first year a weekly average of twenty-eight men were employed excavating the cuttings and forming the embankment at Grand Mourier. The quantity of material excavated by hand and conveyed by man power to form the embankment during the eight months of this year amounted to some 1,500 cubic yards, including about 200 cubic yards of solid rock, and the total expenditure in wages amounted to £2,253.
The following year, 1942, saw an increase in the number of men employed, the weekly average for the year being fifty-five, and work was opened up at Sorel, La Saline and La Fosse, following on the completion of the heavy cutting and embankment work at Grand Mourier. The excavation work on the cuttings at Grand Mourier, La Saline and La Fosse consisted largely of hard compact gravel, difficult for the men to remove with pick and shovel, and not very helpfully broken up by blasting with the limited charges of explosives available. In consequence of encountering this hard material, excavation work was unavoidably slowed up considerably. The approximate quantity of material excavated, handled and formed into embankments by hand during this year amounted to about 3,400 cubic yards, and the total expenditure in wages amounted to £6,771.
During the year 1943, the weekly average number of men employed dropped slightly to forty-eight and with the reduced number of men employed, work was concentrated on the heavy cutting and embankment at La Saline. Whilst this work was progressing, the drainage provisions for the very wet and waterlogged La Saline Hill were pushed ahead. This work included the diversion of a stream for over 450 feet of its length and involved the construction of 165 feet of open and closed masonry culverts, and to deal with the surface water and springs on this bill it was necessary to provide some 6 50 feet of pipe and rubble drains.
A masonry culvert sixty-five feet in length was also constructed to deal with the surface water drainage from the old gravel pits adjoining the La Saline embankment.
In June of 1943, work was commenced opening up the Granite Quarry at La Saline, and since quarrying and stone dressing work started an average of nine skilled men have been kept in constant employment procuring and dressing stone for the various requirements of the new road. Up-to-date some 500 tons of granite has been taken out of this Quarry, from which the dressed stone required for the culverts, drains, and footpath kerbing has been obtained, and the spalls for the foundation of the new roadway.
This year approximately 2,800 cubic yards of material was handled by man power, and the expenditure in wages amounted to £5,995.
During the present year up to July, 1944, the weekly .average number of men has increased up to sixty-one, the highest weekly average since the work commenced. The highest maximum number of men employed since the work started has been ninety. With the number of unemployed men increasing, tools rapidly wearing out, and replacements being practically unobtainable, and transport facilities becoming more and more restricted, great difficulty is being experienced in keeping the men supplied with the essential wherewithals to keep them fully employed.
During the first six months of this year about 2,000 cubic yards of material has been excavated and formed into embankments, including 650 cubic yards of solid rock, and the expenditure in wages has amounted to £3,946
Since work commenced in 1941, the average weekly wage of men employed on the new road (exclusive of the Foremen) has risen by 15,580/0 from £2 2s. 3d per week in 1941 to £2 83. 10d. in 194.4. This increase in wages is due to the relief given to meet the progressive increase in the cost of living taking place in the Island.
In designing the new road-way arrangements have been made for the provision of parking sites for Motor Cars, etc. The old gravel pits adjoining the La Saline embankment, previously referred to, being one of the sites selected, also a second site has already been formed adjoining the Grand Mourier embankment, directly accessible by the newly-widened and improved approach road at this point.
This year also, work has been commenced on the widening of the narrow lane joining the main road near St. John’s Church with the old Quarry at La Perruque. When this lane has been improved it will form a main approach (twenty feet in width with a footway alongside) to the new roadway along the Cliffs.
Since the commencement of the work, about one mile of new road has been opened up and formed, and it is anticipated that the whole of the first section of the new road between La Saline and Sorel will be opened up by the end of this year.
The taking over by the German Authorities of Ronez Quarries and the land adjoining has prevented the development of the new road over the Ronez section of the work. It is however, anticipated that it will be possible to adhere to the original alignment for the new road at this point and, proceed with the construction work at an early date.
As the second section of the proposed new road, extending between Sorel and Mourier Valley comes almost entirely within the prohibited Military Zone, up to the present it has not been possible to consider any development of work along this section. The survey and planning work however, is well ahead, and it is hoped that the whole scheme will be completed when hostilities cease.
C. W. Rice, A.M.Inst.C.E.,
States’ Engineer.
Report On The Construction Of The North Coast Road Under The Department Of Labour.
NOTE.
18th June, 1945.
Since preparing the following report in July, 1944, another year has passed during which construction work -on the North Coast Road has passed through its most difficult period. Supplies of new or second-hand tools and materials were unprocurable, also proper fuel for blacksmiths and welding work for repairing broken and worn-out tools and drills for quarrying work.
Owing to the lack of petrol, the transport of labour and the haulage of materials had to be dealt with by producer, gas-driven Lorries and horses, with lost time mounting up daily through breakdowns.
Also the constantly reducing food rations and lack of adequate clothing for the men seriously reduced the output of work by the labour employed.
During the first half of the past winter the average number of men employed per week was fifty-two, and during the second half, up to the date of the Liberation of the Island, only thirty-seven.
Owing to the foregoing difficult conditions for our constructional work and the reduction in the number of men employed, the progress of the work has been slow.
Cyril W. Rice.
North Coast New Road Scheme
The construction of the North Coast New Road is essentially a States’ scheme for providing work for the unemployed of a nature that can be undertaken, under trained direction and supervision, by men from all classes both skilled and unskilled, who are physically able to handle a “pick and shovel,” and with the use of very limited and diminishing supplies of plant, tools, materials and transport.
The restrictions enforced by the German Authorities on the employment of labour and the use of essential materials have thrown many men out of work, and the policy of the Department of Labour has always been to immediately find alternative employment for these men, chief consideration being given to keeping men in employment on useful work approved by the Department.
Many of the men employed on this new road have never had to do pick and shovel work before, and the majority have had no previous experience on road construction or other public works.
In the planning and laying out of the road, main consideration has had to be given to the undertaking of the work with the class of labour available, the lack of plant and materials essential for economical road construction work, and the very restricted transport facilities. Work of a skilled nature, involving the use of heavy masonry, concrete, steelwork, etc., has had to give place to unskilled “pick and shovel” work. No mechanical diggers being available to carry out the heavy excavations, all excavation work has had to be dealt with by hand, and all haulage of excavated material done by man and horse power, with the help only of a few lengths of narrow gauge rails and waggons.
The removal of solid rock and the hard compact gravel met with in excavating the cuttings has had to be carried out entirely by man power, assisted by hand drilling and blasting, as no mechanical appliances or compressed air drilling plant have been available for this work. This quarrying work has also been considerably hampered on account of the limited supplies of explosives obtainable. These remarks apply also to the working of the Quarry at La Saline from which the stone has been procured for the masonry work, road bottoming, kerbing, etc.
Owing to the necessity for giving Agricultural work prior consideration with regard to labour, farmers have been able at any time to give short notice calls for Agricultural workers for essential farm work. This provision has unavoidably interfered with the organisation of the labour and the continuity of the work on the new road, the Agricultural worker being the best class of labour for the road construction work, and the calls being for fine weather periods only.
Under the foregoing conditions, together with the meagre food rations, the necessary payment of wages for all working time lost due to inclement weather (a very considerable item during the winter months on the exposed North Coast, at times during the bad weather reaching as high as 40% of the total working hours per week), also the loss of time due to frequent unavoidable breakdowns in the transport services taking the men to and from the .work. These two items of lost time alone, taken together, have reached as high as 29% of the total working hours per week, during the best working period, the summer months of the year.
It will at once be seen that it has not been possible to consider the undertaking of this scheme on an economic basis, but rather as productive relief work for the unemployed, originated to assist in keeping down unproductive expenditure on unemployment by the States, and last but not least, to assist in maintaining a standard of morale amongst those workers thrown out of their regular employment, and without other means, in accord with the dictates of their conscience, of supporting themselves and their families.
Description and Progress of Work.
When this new road was first planned it was anticipated that employment might have to be found at short notice for from two to three hundred men thrown out of work. Survey work was therefore pushed ahead along the cliffs between La Saline and Mourier Valley, in St. John’s Parish, covering a total distance of two and three-quarter miles, following as closely as possible the old cliff footpaths.
The survey and location work was commenced in October, 1940, and the final plans were approved by the Department some seven months later.
The Department adopted a twenty feet wide road capable of carrying heavy Charabanc and ’Buses, with a four feet wide footpath for pedestrians along the sea side of the roadway. Work was commenced in February, 1941, some eight months after the German Occupation of the Island, and it was decided to open up the section of the new road between La Saline and Sorel first, a length of about one and a half miles of new road, and to follow on with the second section between Sorel and Mourier Valley later, as labour conditions indicated.
It was not possible to deal with the acquisition of the land required for the new road prior to the opening up of the work, consequently farmers continued with the cropping of their cultivated land, and the procedure of the whole work had to be so arranged as to await the maturity and removal of essential crops on cultivated areas, this reflected adversely on the continuity of the opening up of the work.
It might be mentioned here that the Department of Labour has adopted a farsighted policy in land acquisition, by negotiating to acquire all uncultivated cliff land between the sea and the new roadway, thus reserving this natural beauty spot for the use of the Public of the Island for all time. "
The first work to be undertaken was the construction of the two masonry culverts carrying the streams and surface water drainage under the heavy embankments at Grand Mourier and Sorel. These works being of a skilled nature were carried out first, by Contract, in order that the unskilled work of forming the embankments over the culverts could follow as soon as the unemployed labour became available.
Work with unemployed labour commenced in April, 1941, and during the remainder of this first year a weekly average of twenty-eight men were employed excavating the cuttings and forming the embankment at Grand Mourier. The quantity of material excavated by hand and conveyed by man power to form the embankment during the eight months of this year amounted to some 1,500 cubic yards, including about 200 cubic yards of solid rock, and the total expenditure in wages amounted to £2,253.
The following year, 1942, saw an increase in the number of men employed, the weekly average for the year being fifty-five, and work was opened up at Sorel, La Saline and La Fosse, following on the completion of the heavy cutting and embankment work at Grand Mourier. The excavation work on the cuttings at Grand Mourier, La Saline and La Fosse consisted largely of hard compact gravel, difficult for the men to remove with pick and shovel, and not very helpfully broken up by blasting with the limited charges of explosives available. In consequence of encountering this hard material, excavation work was unavoidably slowed up considerably. The approximate quantity of material excavated, handled and formed into embankments by hand during this year amounted to about 3,400 cubic yards, and the total expenditure in wages amounted to £6,771.
During the year 1943, the weekly average number of men employed dropped slightly to forty-eight and with the reduced number of men employed, work was concentrated on the heavy cutting and embankment at La Saline. Whilst this work was progressing, the drainage provisions for the very wet and waterlogged La Saline Hill were pushed ahead. This work included the diversion of a stream for over 450 feet of its length and involved the construction of 165 feet of open and closed masonry culverts, and to deal with the surface water and springs on this bill it was necessary to provide some 6 50 feet of pipe and rubble drains.
A masonry culvert sixty-five feet in length was also constructed to deal with the surface water drainage from the old gravel pits adjoining the La Saline embankment.
In June of 1943, work was commenced opening up the Granite Quarry at La Saline, and since quarrying and stone dressing work started an average of nine skilled men have been kept in constant employment procuring and dressing stone for the various requirements of the new road. Up-to-date some 500 tons of granite has been taken out of this Quarry, from which the dressed stone required for the culverts, drains, and footpath kerbing has been obtained, and the spalls for the foundation of the new roadway.
This year approximately 2,800 cubic yards of material was handled by man power, and the expenditure in wages amounted to £5,995.
During the present year up to July, 1944, the weekly .average number of men has increased up to sixty-one, the highest weekly average since the work commenced. The highest maximum number of men employed since the work started has been ninety. With the number of unemployed men increasing, tools rapidly wearing out, and replacements being practically unobtainable, and transport facilities becoming more and more restricted, great difficulty is being experienced in keeping the men supplied with the essential wherewithals to keep them fully employed.
During the first six months of this year about 2,000 cubic yards of material has been excavated and formed into embankments, including 650 cubic yards of solid rock, and the expenditure in wages has amounted to £3,946
Since work commenced in 1941, the average weekly wage of men employed on the new road (exclusive of the Foremen) has risen by 15,580/0 from £2 2s. 3d per week in 1941 to £2 83. 10d. in 194.4. This increase in wages is due to the relief given to meet the progressive increase in the cost of living taking place in the Island.
In designing the new road-way arrangements have been made for the provision of parking sites for Motor Cars, etc. The old gravel pits adjoining the La Saline embankment, previously referred to, being one of the sites selected, also a second site has already been formed adjoining the Grand Mourier embankment, directly accessible by the newly-widened and improved approach road at this point.
This year also, work has been commenced on the widening of the narrow lane joining the main road near St. John’s Church with the old Quarry at La Perruque. When this lane has been improved it will form a main approach (twenty feet in width with a footway alongside) to the new roadway along the Cliffs.
Since the commencement of the work, about one mile of new road has been opened up and formed, and it is anticipated that the whole of the first section of the new road between La Saline and Sorel will be opened up by the end of this year.
The taking over by the German Authorities of Ronez Quarries and the land adjoining has prevented the development of the new road over the Ronez section of the work. It is however, anticipated that it will be possible to adhere to the original alignment for the new road at this point and, proceed with the construction work at an early date.
As the second section of the proposed new road, extending between Sorel and Mourier Valley comes almost entirely within the prohibited Military Zone, up to the present it has not been possible to consider any development of work along this section. The survey and planning work however, is well ahead, and it is hoped that the whole scheme will be completed when hostilities cease.
C. W. Rice, A.M.Inst.C.E.,
States’ Engineer.
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