"LONG DISTANCE EATING.”

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1921, Page 4

"LONG DISTANCE EATING.”

BRISBANE’S FNEMPLOVED TRICK. p SYDNEY, .March 7. The Brisbane unemployed, in their eagerness to embarrass tin- capitalist and disturb the existing condition of society, have gone one better than tne c Sydney unemployed. The latter go ,] into restaurants, eat substantial meals, and then invite the restaurant keeper () to “send the bill to Dooley” (the act,r iug Labour Premier). The Brisbane men, however, go into a restaurant, ( ] order a twopenny bun, and then, dur--0 ing a busy period, they take trom half v an hour to an hour to eat it. A dozen e men thus occupying seats are a eons siderahl - loss to the restaurant keeper I, —who is thus punished for daring to j he a member of the employing class. ,i The report of a meeting of 50 unem- ( j, ployed in Brisbane a few days ago is c - amusing. The proceedings opened wi‘.i . i- a solemn cursing of the Government for I' -.iti gto provide work —notwith- | (, standing that this is ti e “hottest” La- ( r hour Government in Australia. Then ! someone read a speech by Alt Percy ( , Brookfield, the Broken Hill extremist, ? in which he advised the unemployed to j s make thorough pests of themselves, and i told them they would he tools to starve when theyG-oiild steal. These senti- . men Is were cheered. , A man who called himself the “seere- j tary of the Communist movement,” said that the men should walk into the shops and demand food and clothing. t Another, man advocated “force,” and damned the police. “Once a policeman t never a man,” said he. A Russian made a real Bolshevik I speech. They were cowards, he said— . j afraid of seven days or seven months’ J imprisonment. What did it , matter so long as they advanced the cause o f revolution. They needed more hackhone. A shock-hyjreil individual, who called himself “a hum on the breadline, singing patriotic songs,” got possession of ” the meeting. He insisted on quoting

apoleon and the Greek poets, and el .d to he forcibly removed. to The bun-eating scheme was discussed fi; id approved. One man said he lacked w c wherewithal to buy a twopenny bun, w it lie was willing to go to the safe and m ;sist a comrade to eat his. st The proceedings ended with Hie ri lock-haired man endeavouring to give it lem whot lie called “a philosophical b scussion on art.” c '' 2 ‘ ft