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Journal
Halifax Disaster Record Office
Chronicle Building
Halifax N.S.
March 4, 1918

FEEDING A "BATTALION" OF WORKMEN AT ONE SITTING

How the Reconstruction Men Working in the North End Are Fed at the Alexander-McKay School

Despite the Arctic conditions which have prevailed in Halifax almost
continually since the disaster last December, the work of the Reconstruction Committee has contined. Day by day and week by week the clearing of the devastated area and building of temporary houses to shelter the unfortunate people who became homesless has proceeded apace, often under most difficult conditions. The number of men employed in this work has necessarily been large and helpers have come from all over the Dominion to assist, with the result that today hundreds of people are again living in the houses which have been repaired, while building is proceeding rapidly on new dwellings and many traces of the explotion have now disappeared.
In the North End of the City it will necessarily take some considerable time before much change is effected, but the Reconstruction Committee have a large number of men at work there. the headquarters of this camp is the Alexander-MacKay School, and when a Chronicle reporter visited this place on Saturday last, there were 1,620 men on the books, while 27 new arrivals had registered that morning. This camp is under the superintendency of Mr. A.J. Smith, formerly of New Glasgow.
On Saturday last at this camp, 1647 men and 88 staff were all served with dinner between the hours of 12 and 1 p.m. It was a revelation to see the meal served so expeditiously. The men coming into the large dining hall presented their checks, were "clocked" by an attendant, and then took their places at the tables where everything was already served. The utmost cleanliness and perfect order was observed in every department, from the Superintendent's office to the kitchen, where fifty feet of ranges are going day and night.

Right Hand Corner
MG 1 vol 2124 number 95