Item 01: Malcolm Shore Stanley correspondence, 8 December 1916-28 October 1918 - Page 66
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 66]
This part of the world jogs along much as usual. Since you left the Queen City, the M. Entomologist has been to Norfolk & Lord Howe Islds. (Lucky beggar) finishing up with the Illawarra Lake district. He got a lot of good stuff too. After that he needs must go up to Ooldea - a point somewhere out beyond 408 mile, west of Port Augusta & as you may judge on the East West line. I think he hypnotised the men up there - you should see the stuff that comes in from Line foreman "T. Brown" or somebody else "B. Jones" c/o such & such a gang, 40? mile E & W Rail, via P.A. [Port Augusta]. Lizards etc. seem to be plentiful. His yarns of the line are pretty sordid. The usual things twoup & rotten pinky - Isn't it damnable. It doesn't seem necessary to apologise for using strong expressions over the business - it's so disgusting. What's more, in nearly every case the wages are splendid (to city ideas) - as of course they need to be to compensate for the awful holes the men have to work in & the price of stuff when it gets to its destination, but even so it's said to be a fact that not more than one in about 50 & even a hundred, can't afford, on pay day, plus a leave week, to go back to P.A. for the reason that their money is all gone before they get it. You've worked with men, so I guess