At the Waterfront.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 20, 21 July 1911, Page 5

At the Waterfront.

By NAUTILUS.

The Wellington Waterside Union is holding the annual election of officers.j Tho nominations are as follows: —For! President. Mr. Fred Curtice and Or. Terry; vice-President, Mr. W.Young; l Secretary, Mr. Thomas Smith ; Assistant Secretary, Messrs. G. G. Farland, Francis McCann, F. li. Backhouse,' Joe McCondey; Treasurer, Thomas Iving and J. Anderson. Mr. Tom Smith, who has held the position since it was vacated by iVLr. D. McLaren, is without opposition this year. Mr. Farland has three opponents, two ot which have contested the position with liim previously. — ~ « w "The new harbour regulations fail to regulate. This is the dictum of Captain Stringer, Marino Superintendent, Wellington. "Wo have absolutely no power over any vessel not registered in N.Z." Even the Huddart Parker vessels are exempted, so we are told. "Of what use then are the regulations, Capt.," said our representative. "The only way you can bring them into action is simply to refuse to work under any beam or hatch, either that or have them administered by the Harbour Board. All our trouble, our pandering to the Government, our resolutions, our conferences, leave us still under the hand of the British Capitalist Shipowner. It was understood that Sir Joe Ward was going Home to alter this, but his visit is barren as far as we are concerned, for him it is Barrenette- The local authorities have no power unless an accident occurs. So you may still harden your necks to catch a stray beam or a hatch or two unless you happen to be. working on a locally registered vessel." ■* * * * Jas. Duncan met with an accident on the Tongariro whilst in Wellington last trip. He was engaged staving off a girder whilst discharging iron, his foot slipped and he was caught between the girder and the stanchion. He was" lifted on th, 9 deck and sent to his home. Although no bones were broken he has received sufficient injuries to lay him aside for some time. * * * Capt. Peterson, of the Norwegian "barque Margett, recently arrived at,' New Plymouth, reported a somewhat exciting experience whilst off the coast of Tasmania. A Russian Finn ordinary seaman made an attempt to run amok, threatening to shoot all and sundry, was finally relieved of two knives and put in irons. Two days gale, topsails blown adrift, side ports smashed and a winch carried away, besides other damage made the captain a rather disconsolate narrator when interviewed by the local press scribe. * * * * 'A shameful spectacle" is the heading under which tho cable announces that two thousand dockers wives with babes in their arms and other children trailing at their skirts marched in procession through Manchester and Salford during the recent strike. A relief fund was started it is further stated. If these poor unfortunates could only see it, a relieving fund hjus been going for some considerable time. It has been relieving their husbands and fathers of the major product of their labor product. Now a charitable modicum must be given in return in order to allow them to go on producing little wage slaves for further relieving purposes. When will they learn to relieve themselves- of the capitalist load which is the cause of their destitution ? * * * * The Sydney "Waterside Workers' Ga-zette," which usually chronicled every thing but the doings of the waterside, has failed to put in an appearance from "'t'other side" these two months. The scribe in command of the editorial chart-house gave liberal extracts from historical Egyptian papyrus, and has now evidently became completely fossilised himself, hence tho demise of his mummy autibiography. Or has the advent of the Labor Party ended its mission? T'other or which ? * * * Timaru reports that work is slackening off and" the harbor shows a very bare appearance. The freezing works are about closed down for the season, it will be a struggle for existence till the wool comes down again. A smoke concert was to be held or the 20th of July, being an assemblage of the combined unionists of tho city. _ Industrial Union propaganda is going on •pace, Comrade Gould, secretary of the local W.W.U., leading the van.