At the Waterfront.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 27, 8 September 1911, Page 16

At the Waterfront.

Some very successful meetings have been held alongside the men's waitingream at Wellington. Frank Freeman, of the local Socialist Party, has addressed the waterside workers on two consecutive Saturday mornings, and P. li. Hickey gave a stirring appeal on Saturday, 26th inst. Propaganda such as this does an immense amount of good, and already the local Wellington men are stiffening up against the employing class and seem determined to make, a move in. the direction of bettering their conditions.

In view of the above, the following is interesting:—At a meeting of Wellington coal workers, held in the Trades Hall, 58 members being present, a resolution, was carried unanimously that the Union be asked to take <a ballot. o>n the question of withdrawing from the T. and L. Councils' Federation of Labor with a view of joining the N.Z.F.L.

A resolution was also passed .at the same meeting asking the Union to take a ballot on the question of cancelling their registration under the Conciliation, and Arbitration Act.

Organising the Wellington waterfront storemen has been a hard task. When Gγ. G. Farland undertook the work of getting these men together nothing seemed easier. Judging by the howl set up by the employers when, they re ceived the Union's demands, Farland's crowd moist have kicked it in pretty stiff.

According to John. Moe, the President of this Union, the distributing of the demands for higher wages and better conditions had an element of seriocomedy. He approached a Jew merchant well known in Tornado Town, •aaid affably presented a bulky envelope sealed in red, containing demands. "Vat is this?" said Sol. "Oh, that's an invitation to a wedding," said John. "A vedding! Oh, tear, they vas still remember mc." John did not wadt till the- Jew had read the missive, fearing that he might be invited to a funeral.

"Have you.seen the Admiral?" is becoming a common query round Wellington waterside. Mr. Munro, the local wharfinger here, has been decorated with a suit of blue and as much brass braid and buttons as would make a decent-sized door plate For a quack doctor.

A little less brass on the wharfinger's coat and a little more silver in the wharfies' trousers pocket would be more "in the line of the rights of things." Barnum said once: "Always dress your showmen tidy —appearance outside is everything."

"The order of the bath" is the latest honour conferred on -the Wellington waterside workers. Coming as a concession from the Harbour Board at Coronation time it is peculiarly significant. Honours are seldom conferred singly. Sir Joseph Ward also received a baronetcy.

The sugar strike of Queensland was won by the solidarity of Labor. The watersiders of Australia played no small part in the settlement of this dispute. The refusal of these men to handle scab sugar and the action of the railway navvies in dropping tools on account of a train load of scabs having passed over the length of line on which they were working is solidarity of a very enviable kind.

Mr. Farland, assistant secretary of the Wellington Union, has commenced a compilation of statistics in order to ascertain the percentage of different trades and callings represented on the waterside. Ten months' new members shows the following : —Laborers 270, seamen 111, miners 19, drivers 13, engineers 10, shearers 7, bakers 5, butchers, grocers, merchants 4 each, ironworkers, clerksj and stewards 3, storemen, painters, gardeners, bricklayers 2 each, and of various other trades, including publishers, woolclassers, sailmakers, bushmen, indent .agents, commercial travellers, rope makers, brewers, ashphalters, ploughmen, carpenters, wharfinger, farmers, soldiers, 1 each.

C. B. Fry, whom cricket enthusiasts in England are endeavouri.ng to induce to accept a place in the English team for the Australian tour, has never visited Australia. ~

[ Rugby '■■ Union 1 games in Cardiff get average' gates of 30,000 pe-r match. Gibbs" and Morgan, who were members of the 1908 British team in Australia, are still doughty doers for Cardiff.