Jamaicans bought into the prime minister's vision of a labour day. Persons volunteered right across the island to plant trees and take part in beautification projects. PM Manley shared that the response to the new idea was more than he expected.

Published Wednesday, May 24, 1972

Thousands work for Labour Day

- GOOD RESPONSE TO PRIME MINISTER'S APPEAL...

- Tree-planting, clearing of sidewalks, other projects undertaken

IN A NATIONWIDE show of voluntary effort, thousands of Jamaicans yesterday took to the streets and hedges, to social centres and elsewhere in a new type of celebration of Labour Day 1972.

Responding to a call from the prime minister, the Hon Michael Manley, to “put work into Labour Day", a wide variety of work projects marked the day that used to celebrated by marches and speech-making by the trade union movement in concert with political adherents.

Governor General Sir Clifford Campbell took part in the programme with tree-planting at King's House, later joining the prime minister himself at a beautification project along the Palisadoes/Harbour View Road.

Mr Manley joined a number of projects in the Corporate Area before leaving the city by helicopter to take part in a Clarendon project.

He returned later in the evening for a public concert on the grounds of Jamaica House as the climatic celebration of the day.

EARLY RETURNS

The early returns from the hours of voluntary effort left some streets in downtown Kingston unusually clean, bordered by whitewashed pavements, and up to late in the afternoon, some groups were still cleaning and painting.

Projects by service clubs, scouts, and many other organisations galvanised much of the society into hours of voluntary work. Other ministers of Government also played their part.

By mid-day, the Prime Minister described the national response as beyond his wildest expectations and said that a new trend had been set for future Labour Days.

Speaking to reporters on the Jamaica House grounds, after visiting various areas of the city, Mr Manley said that now that the possibility of mobilising the Jamaican people for participatory voluntary work had been demonstrated, he would in the future be calling on Jamaicans from all sectors to participate in the planned projects.

The depth of response to his Labour Day call suggested that there was a need among Jamaicans from all strata of the society to find ways of expressing in action their desire to see the nation move forward, the prime minister said.

ALL SECTORS

At projects throughout the city, Jamaicans from all sectors of the society came together for voluntary work. Sporting a huge hat under the fierce sun, Governor General, Sir Clifford Campbell was early on the scene at the site of the Harbour View Palisadoes Road Beautification Project, on the Rockfort Road, in the vicinity of the Harbour View Roundabout.

Here, scores of citizens and several groups including the Kiwanis; recruits from the Police Training School, Port Royal; members of the Jamaica Defence Force, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and citizen associations were busily engaged in a project that included landscaping of the dual carriage-way, work on the construction of a seaside park, and the erection of a pre-fabricated pedestrian bridge.

Trees were planted by Sir Clifford and by the prime minister, who helped to load wheelbarrows with earth as the work progressed. Also at this site for varying periods were the Hon. Keble Munn, minister of agriculture and MP for the area; Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Senator the Hon. Dudley Thompson;  Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Eli Matalon, who accompanied the prime minister; and Councillor Eustace Bailey, who represents the area.

Earlier in the day, Mr Manley visited the Fletcher's Land area where he assisted citizens in the bushing of a lot and distributed garbage bins donated by Tropicair Jalousies. He then went on to Central Kingston, where in the South Camp Road area, he planted trees in a beautification project, and to lower King Street, where the staff of the Jamaica Citizens Bank was engaged in the "facelifting" of areas around the bank.

Shrubbery

Here, the prime minister, along with the mayor, assisted in the planting of shrubbery, which was part of a special landscaping project.

The Citizens Bank landscaping and beautification project involved the planting out of fully grown palms, bougainvillaeas, and crotons in specially prepared planters along the bank's King Street frontage. Work started at six o'clock yesterday morning when the first plants were put in by the General Manager, Mr Arthur Chai-Onn, and executives of the bank. The staff were joined later by the Chairman of Jamaica Citizens' Bank Limited, the Hon. A. Russell Graham, custos of St. Andrew. Work ended at 1 p.m., with lunch provided by female members of the staff.

The prime minister's next stop after visiting the Harbour View Palisadoes project was in the Carnavon Street area of Rollington Town, where citizens were bushing a lot of land to provide for a park. Here, the prime minister aided in repairing a fence around a resident's home. the fence, the Gleaner was told, had been broken down repeatedly by boys who entered the premises to steal mangoes but who had now decided to effect its repair as their contribution to the Labour Day effort.

From Rollington Town, Mr Manley, accompanied by the mayor, travelled through the city to Coronation Market, stopping here and there along the way to "lend a hand" or to speak with citizens working on projects and then to the Municipal Bus Terminus. He was greeted by a cheering crowd holding brooms, picks, shovels, and other implements of the "clean-up campaign" began a spontaneous march through Parade to Victoria Park and to the statue of the late National Hero the Rt Excellent Norman Manley, The Prime Minister stood with bowed head as the crowd sang "We Shall Overcome". The next stop was at Jamaica House, where Mr Manley planted three fruit trees on the grounds.

Looking somewhat tired and dirt-soaked after an active morning, Mr Manley told reporters that the turnout of Jamaicans was greater than he had dared to hope for. He said that he was glad to notice that there had not been any confusion in the public mind about the voluntary nature of the Labour Day effort, and it had been kept separate in their minds from the crash programme for employment.

The work done would not be abandoned but was just a start, which had demonstrated the "spirit of self-reliance", and the Government intended to draw upon that spirit to create ongoing projects.

Mr Manley wound up his day in the city with a courtesy call on the Rt Excellent, Sir Alexander Bustamante, national hero, and Lady Bustamante, at their Tucker Avenue residence. He was accompanied by his son Joseph.

He then left the city by helicopter for Kemps Hill, Clarendon, to join community workers and officers of the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Board in community work there.

Clean-up

Leaders of State and Church as well as citizens of the country worked side by side doing a comprehensive clean-up and beautification of the Corporate Area and the country parts.

The governor general began his day with the planting of shade trees at Kings' House. Assisted by the staff of King's House, he worked for about an hour at this project.

Sir Clifford then left to join the prime minister at the Palisadoes Road in continuation of his day's work. On the way to the Palisadoes Road, he stopped off in Norman Gardens and spoke to the citizens of the area who were putting work into Labour Day. He offered them encouragement and expressed the hope that they would continue to work in an effort to keep Jamaica beautiful.

Mr Manley, the originator of the new attitude towards Labour Day, began his day at Fletcher's Land in his constituency, Central Kingston. Accompanied by the Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Eli Matalon, and other associates, he helped to bush an open lot and to distribute garbage bins that were donated by Tropicair Jalousies.

From Fletcher's Land, the prime minister went to lower South Camp Road, where at the newly erected park, a project sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Kingston and other bodies, he did a tree-planting and clean-up job.

Over in Duhaney Park, Patrick City, and Pembroke Hall, the Labour Day call was much acknowledged. On every street, people could be seen painting, cleaning, sweeping, and bushing. The entire atmosphere was one of gaiety.

"This is better than driving all about the place and killing people in accidents,' one resident of Duhaney Park said.

From the streets, residents went to a playfield where a concerted effort is being made by the citizens of the area, and Raymond International, with their heavy-duty machines, helped in clearing up a large lot of land. The cleared lot will house the Brook Valley United Club and will be known as Raymond's International Park.

Assisting in this project were Mr L. A. Bochen, project manager of Raymond International; Mr J. N. Gentile, grade supervisor; Mr Kenneth Edwards, general foreman; and Mr Rudolph Bartley, president-to-be of the Brooks Valley United Club.

The Hon Allan Isaacs, minister of mining and national resources and member of Parliament for the area visited the various projects and assisted in the planting of trees. He also gave encouragement to the citizens.

Assistance

At the Jamaica Federation of Women (JFW)Headquarters, at Arnold Road, a clean-up and beautification project was undertaken. Lady Edris Allan, chairman of the JFW, and other executive members were assisted by citizens of the area as they worked together.

Dr Mary Seivright of the Nurses' Association of Jamaica did a similar clean-up and beautification job of their headquarters on Arnold Road. She was assisted by executive members of the association and by citizens.

Minister of Housing, the Hon. Anthony Spaulding, made a tour of his Southern St Andrew constituency yesterday to lend a hand in almost every Labour Day project in the area.

Mr Spaulding first helped a group of workers to clean up the site of the new Trench Town Park at the corner of West and Greenwich Roads.

From there, making a few short stops on the way, the minister travelled to the Eventide Home on Slipe Pen Road, where he worked as a painter, helping members of the Kingston Jaycees, students of the Jamaica School of Art, some members of the Moravian Church, and citizens of the Jones Town and surrounding areas to clean up the home.

That was a good project, as the walls and columns of the large board building housing the central section of the complex were clearly in need of attention.

The Jaycees members, their wives, the students, and citizens of the area got "down to business," from as early as 8.00 a.m., and by midday, the squalor and dinginess had been removed from the exterior of the building and replaced by a new fresh, clean look.

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