300 miles later - the Jarrow Marchers are dealt a triple blow after completing their incredible journey
Lukewarm reception for the petition - and the marchers get their benefits cut
A triple slap in the face was waiting for the Jarrow marchers just days after reaching London.
The petition which they had carried all the way from South Tyneside was found to be wrongly addressed, according to reports from London.
If it hadn’t been corrected, the petition would not have been presented after all of their endeavours.
Our reporter said in 1936: “There was nearly a hitch in the arrangements for the presentation petitions in the House Commons to-day in support of the Jarrow demonstration that would have prevented the supporting petition on behalf of the Tyneside boroughs from being received.
“The petition itself, which was to have been presented by Sir Nicholas Grattan Doyle and is supported by some 65,000 signatures, was found to be addressed to the Government. That is an irregular form of address which would have prevented its reception by the House of Commons.
“Rapid steps were taken to produce a supplementary petition bearing the signatures of members of parliament and others, asking Parliament to receive this petition.”
The changes meant the petition would be presented by Jarrow MP Ellen Wilkinson.
In a second blow, the Jarrow issue was only very briefly discussed when it was debated in Parliament. And even then, the President of the Board of Trade Sir Walter Runciman claimed Jarrow’s unemployment position - while still far from satisfactory - had improved.
To make matters worse, news emerged from home that some of the marchers had their benefits stopped while they were away.
Our reporter said: “The dispute arose last night when the men discovered that in some cases as much as 11s. 6d. had been deducted from their allowance. “In one case a shilling more than the normal amount had been paid. A more serious aspect of the reductions was that in many instances four or five men who were on the same scale, and who had signed at the same time, found wide differences in the amounts they received.
“In one instance, four men who should have received 29s were paid 23s 6d, 24s, 24s 6d and 25s 6d respectively.
The men of Jarrow returned to the North East with virtually none of their aims met but with some unexpected positives achieved.
The marchers who made up the mouth organ band were asked if they would record some gramophone records of their marching songs.