In and About Timaru.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 17, 30 June 1911, Page 12

In and About Timaru.

Are wo downhearted? "No!" or at least I am not when I realise it's only Editors and Emperors who are entitled to call themselves "we." I am compelled to use the personal pronoun. But what makes mc so optimistic is not because Sirjo has given away a whole fleet of Dreadnoughts, but because I have been down south and have seen the wonderful influenco our Ited-cover-ed, penny edition Gaspcl-banger is having on the -workers. Meld a meeting in Timaru last Sunday. Com. ' : Bob " Gould took the chair (no, it was a barrel). He assured mo he couldn't speak on tho stump, but this is what he said : ' 'Fellow workers, —1 think Aye are ratty hero in Timaru. We havo got 30 unions, 30 different nights of meeting, paying 30 secretaries 30 different salaries to look after 30 different sets of books, when wo could be all in one union fighting the one enemy." And he said this in about 30 seconds and got down. This comrade is called a light-weight when ho enters tho ring, but I reckon he must be classed as a heavy-weight when he strips in the Labor fight and he's always in this. Well, we had some glorious meetings on Socialism, Industrial Unionism and anti-militarism —lots of boys at the last meeting, and I do fool sorry for the training officer when he asks these boys to "Obey." He's in for a hot time.

Next -on to Waimate. Felt exceedingly pleaeod. when I found the local brass band waiting. "Now, this is all right," I told tho comrades who met mc; and then I was let down. "Oh, don't get swelled head," says Com. Eddy ; "this is not for you. They are going to open a rotunda in memory of Ted Wet tin; don't suppose they ever heard, of you." (I call the last remark unkind.) Well, I naturally attended this function, and was much

surprised to hoar from the Mayor what a splendid fellow this dead king was; the Mayor said it was his (Ted's) fault that this country was so prosperous that she oould afford to borrow enough money to give a Dreadnought to the gentleman whose family name is I. K. Mo, and who lent us the money to enable us to fight the Germans, who he had also lent money to- to build another Dreadnought to fight the Dreadnought ho had lent us tho money to build. CN.B.—This seems a bit mixed, but I assure you 1 am a prohibitionist, and always take it neat.) Well, the Mayor and a member of Parliament (who I think is also a prohibitionist) swore- wo wore prosperous, and thanked Gord we had no poverty in this country ; and I moved aside .so that the speakers could sco half a dozen little kiddies, with no boots and stockings, and open-work trousers, but the speakers were looking towards a .benzine 'bus, and didn't see the kids, and so they didn't know these youngsters were bluo with the cold, or els-?, of course, they would have sooken differently.

I was so busy trying to attract the Mayor's attention to these children that I forgot to take off my hat when they played "Gorsavc" the King. (I don't know which this referred to, the dead or the live one). However, I looked around and found a lot more of tlio audience with their hats on and mc and the Mayor were quite disgusted. They didn't servo afternoon tea, so Aye lei'u and went to seek a home. The comrades took mo to a nice hotel, nice soft carpets, right up to my bedroom, and I couldn't help wishing the "great divide" would take place soon, so tliat I could havo got some of those carpots—(l simply have tho Tenth Commandment). I swaggered in, and tittivatod myself up, so they'd think all us hod-earriors was used to that style. Then someone hit a kerosene tin, and I went to see what was the matter, and they said "Dinner's on." So was I. And when I havo finished my dinner I'll toll you more.—THE VAG.