The Workingman's Gehenna

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 8, 20 April 1911, Page 18

The Workingman's Gehenna

One day recently, after listening to some Wellington Socialists speaking at the Queen's Statue, the "Busy Bee" took a walk along the A\'hart\ After a Ibit- he sat down on the base of a crane and gazing dreamily across the harbour, fell into musing ruood. Hoav long lie sat and mused he does not knoAV, but as "he came to himself' the hum of voices fell upon his ear. He looked round to see who the speakers were. One was a wharf rat. who had "lined up" unsuccessfully so far that day. Tlie other was a "Yank" by his twang. They were enfagea in an earnest conversation. Peraps the term "conversation" scarce is apropos, inasmuch as tlie Yank, is usual with men of that ilk, did all the talking- To be more correct, with the kind reader's permission, we AA r ill call it "diatribe." The man from the land of the Wooden Nutmeg was saying : — "You fellers is always a-going on about this country bein' a 'workin' man's paradise,' 'n' shoutiii' around in the streets 'n' public places, 'n' private bars about the 'Right to Work.' Thar ain't much doubt that things is better here 'n' they air in Eurup, 'n' a shade better 'n they be in Aniurrica, pltho' jest as soon as ver Guv'ment can't borrer no more aou!.y, 'n' things begin to draw in a bit financially—git a kin' o' monetary j ucker, so to speak, —they Avon't be any better 'n they are anywhere else. "Every doggoned thing ye do is calculated to help yer foul system el begging f'r work 'n' Avorkin' f'r AAages, 'n' ye hain't gotten the sense to see trat wages 'n' capital don't need to haA r e nothing to do Avith one another l . Ye only want to Avork to get Avhat ye need, 'r think ye need. "Say! Did it ever git inter yer hrad that there AA r as such a thing as a 1 tight to be Idle? "Oh yus, I know the Bible says, man 'shall earn his bread by the SAA'eat of his brow/ but it don't say nofchin' about ye bavin' to shed a bar'l o' perspiration earnin' bread 'n' butter, 'n' champagne frapper 'n' fried chicken f'r forty'leven other people. "Why, ye fat-headed, one idea'd chump ! two hours' labour a day is 'nough to earn ye all the bread ye

want, 'n' all the puddin'. That is if things was Avhat they ought to be. Mind ye, I said a spell ago that the averige Avorkiii' man got on better in NeAV Zealand 'n in most other places, but I didn't say nothin' about the AA'orkin' womanI bin in some pretty tough resorts in various parts o' the AA'orld in my time, but 1 never did see a place AAhere workin' men looked as little after their winimin's comfort as they do in this country, 'ceptin' in Euruji. Wages P Why, 'holy frostbites! Say! I knoAV a girl right here in Well'n't'n aalio bebelongs to a respectable family, 'n' has gotten a good decent edjecation, 'n' she's a rattiin' good girl, too—never had an unkind thought f'r anyone, i don't reckon—'n' she has, under yer cussed system of the Right to Work, the esteemed 'n' giorious privilege o' toilin' hard f'r forty-eight hours pur Aveek f'r the magint cent salary of ten shillin'. Ten bloouim", dirty bob! Makin' hats. The labour o' her ban's profits her employer the matter o' three pound ten on an averige. He's a generous, Avliole-souled amiable animal, n' promises her that if she sticks to ber job f'r 'nother year so's she. can bring him in five pounds a AAeek, she'll be promoted to be a kin' o' a fourth ass'stant superintendent over three "*r four other ten bob a AA'eek females, '11' get a rise to twenty herself. My ! If she don't die afore then, AA'on't she jist walloAv in wealth. "This the land o' big wages—'n' high prices! 'Britons never shall be slaves.' What ho, What's she? "No taskmaster shall ever force the British worker to the position of being an underpaid servant? Rats! What air ye? "J.wo men starts equal in life. One feller robs a drunk o' seven-'n'-six, 'n' says to the other feller:—'Say, I gotten money noAA". Come 'n' AA-ork f'r mc. Make mc some bricka 'n' I'll sell'io. f'r a quid ; n' giA r e ye three-'n'-tup'ns. Here's some mud to begin AA'ith.' "O' course, t'other man's dead anxious to Avork, 'n' the 'rangement goes on fr'm day t' day, 'n' week t' week, 'n' year t' year, 'n' the boss thief gits rich 'n' fat, 'n' other man Avorks. "The brickmaker falls in love 'n' marries a girl, 'n' slie Avorks. They git a lot o' kids 'n' they AA r ork. "The brickmaker gits older 'n' older, 'n' the work gits harder 'n' harder. "The market gits overstocked, 'n' tlie boss thief says : 'Ye've made too many bricks; IH'e no more AAork f'r ye.' " 'But, master," says the brickmaker, 'I've Avorked many years f'r ye 'n' luade ye thousands, Avhile I have nothin'. Bareiy could I live on AA'hat ye paid mc. Noav I'm old. Of yer great hoard give mc a little, that my Avife 'n' children mayn't starve-' "Sez the man o' money: 'Wal, I'm sorry f'r ye, but it's the luaa- o' s'pply 'n' demand. I can't afford to keep ye any longer. Ye had the same chance as~l had. Why didn't ye take it?' " 'But, master, each day I Avork I earn 'nought' s'ply ye Avith all ye need fryer comf'rt, 'n' f'r the comf'rt o' many others. Ev'ry day ye place in the bank sufficient f'r ten men to liveGive mc a little. Give mc half o' my old Avages. See I'm old. My Avife is old. We'll soon go. F'r God's sake, give mc a tenth o' the profit my labour brings ye daily, jist till I can find 'nother job-' " 'N' capitalist sez : 'No, I can't be annoy'd. I'\ r e got t' spend a hundred thousand pounds a-buildin a' library so's yer children kin have it t' look at, 'n' I can't spend my valuable time invest'ga tin' yer case. 'F ye've got t' starve, don't do it round here. I Avon't haA-e ye creat'n' a nuisance round my premises, mind yer!' "That's a picter o' yer infurnal system o' Avorkin' ±"r the benefit o' some one else. Worst o' it is here in New .'Zealand ye've 'gotten two taskmasters —yer boss 'n' yer boose. "Ye work hard f'r eight 'n' nine bob, 'n' then ye go t' a pub, 'n' bung a shillin' over the bar f'r ia drink f'r yerself 'n' yer mate, 'n' ye stand thar 'n' guzzle till ye slop OA r er 'n' talk guff f'r couple hours 'bout yer demercratic Gov'ment. yer labour legislation, 'n' yer blessed Iti'gjit to Work. Oh, ye're a fat lot! 'n' ye call yer Avife 'the ole woman/ 'n' the 'missus/ 'n' yer girls "slaveys" when they go t' Avork. "Ye spend a chunk o* yer wages in drink, 'n' go home 'n' cuss yer Avife because she bleAv in a thripenny-bit on a piece o' ribbon P make herself pretty f'r ye. 'N' as of'n 's not ye expect her t' Avork t' help keep yer home over yer head. 'N' ye let her do it f'r a quarter o' Avhat ye'd want f'r same job. 'N' ye uphold the system that alloAvs it. 'n' then ye go 'n' whimper* 'n' shed tears 'bout the competition o' wimmi'n. " 'N' ye vote men into Parlyment whose princ'ple idea is P uphold the Avage system 'n' pass laws P make ye Avork harder, '11' add further t'_ the burden ye put upon yer wimmiJn. ""When ye can't think o' anything else t' do ye blaggard yer wiminin—the mothers who bore ye, the wives that wait on ye hand 'n' fut, the heroines o' more fights ev'ry year 'n all the Boer wars that -ever aa-us. The keepers o" the world, the martyrs, the slaves o' yer cursed capitalist system. "But. I Prget, ye JhaA'e yer Right to Work !

"Wal, work, dam ye, work! Work! Work, 'n' earn two bloomin* quid f'r yer boss, 'n' a blanky eight bob fryer family—minus Avhat ye spend on yerself 'n' yer pub. "Work! and earn a man pi on fryer employer, 'n* so' 3ye c'n pay rent > r the hovel in which ye bouse yer Avife '11' children ! "Drink! So's yell f'rset yer misery. "Drink ! So's ye won't see the growin* lines o' care on the face o' the 'missus/ 'n' t the AvistfT look in the eyes o' yer ch-'ldren'. "Work, 'n' drink, 'n' let yer wife n' child real work '1/ f'rget about the sorrow, 'n' crime, '11' prostitution, '11' the cause of it ail! "Work! till the second comin' o' the Man o' Sorrows, whose first act '11 be to bust up yer fool system 'n' give ye, yen. Avifie 'n' children the Right to Play !