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Printed: FRENCH ARCHAEOLOGICAL MISSION
Stamp or typed header overlaid: Excavations of Enkomi, Famagusta, 15 Sept. 1946.
Ghosted show-through text from reverse side, mostly illegible
As I said in a postscript to my last report of [illegible] the mission arrived on 31 August by air from Ankara at [illegible] Nicosia, where the next day, Monday 2 September, I was able to contact the authorities and obtain a loan of equipment granted by the military authorities, in order to organise the division within a period of [illegible] valid at Enkomi, which we need to excavate [illegible] on 5 September we began our operations at Enkomi. [illegible] came up against difficulties in finding workmen.
The able-bodied population of the villages of the Enkomi region works in the camps [illegible] where one is in the process of organising to protect the natives [illegible] clandestine [illegible] title of the houses. Here we meet a certain [illegible] Palestine [illegible] of the town of Famagusta, thanks to the intervention of Mr Pelagoute, leader of the Labour party and of the general secretariat of the trade unions (communist), I was able to obtain a [illegible] of 150 workmen and women. In the following week, although the workmen had been [illegible] the [illegible] successively [illegible] demanded a wage of 6 to 18 shillings a day, [illegible] in [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] for 3 days (they worked only [illegible]) [illegible] 3 days [illegible] a conduct [illegible] a sub-committee of workmen [illegible] any change of personnel, dismissals etc.
As it was impossible to adapt these conditions, I had to stop the excavations and wrote to the Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Works [illegible] and here made known to the [illegible] several of their demands [illegible] [illegible] to accept the principle of work by team of two (man to pick, woman to shovel, [illegible]) to pay the increase of 6/7 to [illegible] shillings. A workmen's committee must be constituted on the sheets, but one does not have the right [illegible] it must not [illegible] director or the [illegible] for [illegible] of the workmen. It has no business to interfere in the direction of the works.
[illegible] makes [illegible] to the secretary of the trade unions that he sanctions [illegible] and wages out of proportion to the work supplied, and I make every reservation as to my decision in case the promises of the sub-committee to improve the output of work should not be fulfilled.
Work was resumed the next day, but given the marked increase in wages, I had to reduce the number of workmen from 150 to 120 men.
Two days sufficed to show that the promises will not be kept; the laziness of the labour force is systematic, constant, [illegible]. I asked, in agreement with the authorities here, who recognise the situation, that the government give me some fifty German prisoners or Jewish labour. The question is under study, but it is feared that there will be hostile action from the population, already discontented because of the presence of the Jewish camps, which would cause a general shortage and a rise in prices. In reality, the Cypriots, whose lack of activity the Romans already noted, were spoiled by the war years, during which it was possible to earn easily with a minimum of activity. The pockets full, moreover, the working population is organising itself and thinks it can impose its conditions. Lamaguste, I am told, is the "red" region of the island.
Handwritten marginalia along left edge, illegible
Handwritten annotations, left margin, illegible
65 figures hard to readstruck struck outadded written in above” jug ditto, and what it repeatsword reading not certain