Waterside Whispers.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 10, 12 May 1911, Page 12

Waterside Whispers.

Ted Canhaai, a leading sijirit in the Auckland Union, made a gallant attempt to get on the. Harbour Board. xTs was beaten by the class-conscious vote of tire puppets of vested interest. The Auckland "workers must continue to preach the class strug£sle, they Aviil win out eventually. G. CL Farkuid polled 1,80-5 votes at tlie recent Harbour Board election, Wellington. They were nM workers' votes, the majority _ of them Socialists, '•lie will come ao;am." The wharf men stood to him well as the poll at the wharf booth shows that ho beat all comers with the exception of the Chairman of the Beard, Robert Fletcher. The vote of censure passed on the Executive of the JN.Z. YV. W, Federation for appointing Mr. McLaren as the- Patea men's representative in the recent strike case lias been resented strongly by the, executive. A. H- Hindmarsh was the only Labor representative elected on the Wellington Harbour Board, Wellington. The wharf men voted strongly his way as they know him to be a man who will make himself heard in their cause. "He is gifted with a lack of political diplomacy" and such men as he are needed. Mr. Tom Smith, the Secretary of the Wellington Wharf Union, mado a very creditable showing at the recent municipal elections in Wellington. Taking the wharf booths as a criterion of his popularity on the waterside he made an easy first, beating l>. McLaren by 17 votes and all other candidates, many of whom have been before the public "for years. If he succeeds in gaining the confidence of the Wellington miblic in the manner he. has gained

popularity on the- waterfront he should gain a seat at the next election. Mr Jarn.es Flowers., of Wharf Union fame, has been somewhat disconcerted at not receiving the ±ull amount of damages claimed in his recent case with the Wellington Union. He naa inserted an advert, in the New Zealand "Times" giving notice to the public that he has placed the facts of his case in the. hands of Sir Robert Stout. JE£e concludes his notice by asking for '"'peace- between man and beast." What is meant by this is a matter for conjecture on the waterside. The Dunedin Harbour Board is building an up-to-date waiting room for the waterside workers of "Siberia." They are also providing offices for the Union and other necessary conveniences. In conversation, with the Dunedin men the writer learnt that their Union was in the fortunate position of having every member iinaneial. Mr. W. Morris makes a very efficient secretary, and he also has the assistance of a very energetic committee. Rob. Fletcher is going to shift things considerably at the north end of the Wellington wharf. The ladies waiting room is going to be turned "end tor end/ and the door made to face on Jevois Quay. Some would shift it altogether ; it is not the best place for the Day's Bay ladies as the atmosphere is sometimes very blue. The gates and fence at the Ferry wharf will also be taken, down and so-znething more suitable erected. There is a feeling abroad that thia winter will be a very hard one for wharf mcn j some say even as bad as the black winter of '98. 'The slacker the winter the better the vote." It may be a good thing seeing the election, falls in November. "Get on th» land, young man." NAUTILUS.