1

Some of the miners who worked at the Malagash Salt Mine and their working life.

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Miners with rock salt samples
2 September 1918
Malagash, Nova Scotia, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


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This photo of a group of miners with rock salt samples, was taken on September 2nd, 1918, the first day salt was hoisted from the Malagash Salt Mine.
1st in back row - Bill McGrath
Front row - William McGrath, James Beattie, Auley Clarke, Peter Murray (farmer), Jim Purdy, J. P. Messervey (an engineer with the Nova Scotia Department of Mines), A. R. Chambers and Alex Smith.

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James working underground in the Malagash Salt Mine
1950
Malagash, Nova Scotia, Canada

5

James Anderson

6

An extract from an interview with Kenny Wilson
1950
Malagash, Nova Scotia, Canada

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An extract from an interview with Kenny Wilson with Kenny telling us about his first job at the salt mine in 1950.

You started at the Salt Mine when you were 16 was it?

Yeh? 1950. November 15th, 1950.

So tell us about when you started work at the Salt Plant, what was it like then?

Well, I was never a very big person, I only weighed about 125 lbs and when I went to work days, the first job I had was carrying 140 lb bags of salt. After a week of that, I had second thoughts about going back to school, but I didn't, I stayed with it.

So that was your first job was it?

Yes, carrying bags of salt out into the box cars.

So how many would have started, how many were doing that job with you?

At the time, there would be one fellow filling the bags; two sewing the bags - these were jute bags, they call them feed bags today I guess - they'd be two sewing and two in the box car. They come down a chute. You carry them one end of the? from the middle of the box car to the back of the box car, so it was quite a little lug, and you'd pile them 6 or 7 high.

And they were pretty heavy then?

140 lbs!

So what time of day, was that day shift that you worked?

Day shift and afternoons.

What hours did you work, 8 hour shifts?

Eight to four and four to twelve.

What was the pay rate back then, do you remember?

Very little!! I don't remember the exact amount. I know that my take-home pay for six days a week was $28.00.

And that was in 1950?

Yes. That was my take-home pay so it would be about $32.00 a week roughly.

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Four miners
1950
Malagash, Nova Scotia, Canada
TEXT ATTACHMENT


9

Several miners at the entrance to the Malagash Salt Mine, circa 1930.

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Miner John MacDonald is shown drilling in the Malagash Salt Mine
1950
Malagash, Nova Scotia, Canada

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John MacDonald

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An extract from an interview with Kenny Wilson
1950's
Malagash, Nova Scotia, Canada

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An extract from an interview with Kenny Wilson. Kenny describes his job sewing jute bags in the early 1950's.

So what was your next job after that?

I got promoted upstairs as they call it, to be a sewer of the jute bags. There was always a contest on who was the fastest sewer.

Did you ever win?!

Yes. I was, for a while I became one of the fastest sewers. Jimmy Drummond was the fastest man they had in the plant for sewing.

So how fast, how many bags did you sew? So many an hour or a day?

Err... we, I can't remember exactly, but I think Jimmy could sew one in about 35 seconds.

That was just sewing the top?

Sewing the top. Those are the ones, sometimes you see pictures of them and they have ears, and you just sew them across.

How long did you have that job?

Ok? 1950 I was in the box cars till? Ok in 1951, I probably had that job for a couple of months. I was just working seasonal you see. No seniority, I'd just started, so I only worked part-time.

So were you still going to school?

No.

14

The cookhouse at the Malagash Salt Mine
1950
Malagash, Nova Scotia, Canada