ALWAYS SOMETHING

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 224, 10 December 1927, Page 28 (Supplement)

ALWAYS SOMETHING

the sr>rs zrnxEY

UNEMPLOYED AND STRHtES THE WATERFRONT HOLD.tfp SI DN'EY, December » Sydney has always at least one sation to interest her inhabitant “ E ' the latest is the time” strike. In this city of comlTA tions. people discuss quite the providing- of work lor the r y ployed to tide them over Chri«’ em ' while at the same time thev tali strike which will throw L'o 000 1 of work. Whether the establish a bureau for the reehwLS? of free labourers, and employ s the wharves, remains to be seen ? is certain that if thev did thev w 1: be rushed with applicants, for thA >UW mer pay of a watersider ran»„ , £7 a week to £l2, and them T' thousands of men who have scam ? 5 seen a pound note for months w extraordinary tiling about water,A strikes here is that the men on strii" drift off and take other work lottir the outsider get their job. Then the trouble is over, they return s e oust the outsider. It is a queer inri,,/ trial pickle. Uk ’ In the midst of it all, the w_ tween Mr. Tom Walsh, president r* the Seamen’s Union, a id Mr. Johnson, its president, has been a fresh fillip. As the seamen are beW paid off steamers, their union is to be embroiled, but its efficiency £ apt to be impaired by the split in ranks due to the feud referred to. Chinese Loyal to Countrymen The 50 Chinese who were f oUn<! stowed away in the ballast tank* the Dutch steamer Almkerk, at Frc mantle, arrived in Sydney as steerav* passengers in the Karoola, on their way to China, and they are now liberty, free to come and go in W tralia for one month, under two bind' of £IO.OOO, each put up by their weal thy countrymen in Australia. These generous men have also paid the passages home of the stowaways. In the meantime, there are sceptics who declare that some of the aliens win manage to remain in the country, for which they avow a whole-hearted’ admiration. They were a cheerful little party on the Karoola, and passengers who were in contact with them found them intelligent and eager to learn games of shipboard. Putting the tail on a pig, drawn in chalk on the deck, was one of the pastimes they indulged in. till a Chinese wrote something in his native language on the pig’s back, when they all ceased playing, and began to chatter in Chinese, evidently annoyed at the insult the words conveyed. New Motor-ships for Passengers The announcement that the Adelaide Shipping Company has ordered on'-, and maybe two motor-ships, of 7.OfD tons, for passenger traffic, has cause! some talk in shipping circles. This company went out of the passenger trade some years ago, when it sold its big ships Wandilla, Willochra, and som eolder ones. The revival is based, it is said, on the fine future promising in the tourist trade between Melbourne and North Queensland, and to other picturesque parts. One rumour has it that the ships will run to North Queensland, and maybe New Guinea, in the winter, and to New Zealand and Tasmania in the summer. What, truth there is in tins cannot be ascertained, but it is an undoubted fact that every summer hundreds of people who would make these trips are unable to do so on account of the limited steamer accommodation, to augment which would not pay in view of the laying-up of some of the ships in winter. But, by amalgamating the New Zealand and North Queensland services, the alteration of the routes to suit the seasons would keep the vessels busy all the time. New Zealanders at the Tin Hares Though New Zealanders are loth to introduce tin hares into their fair land, for which they deserve every commendation, they are not against “going to the dogs” in Sydney. Two nights ago. in visiting the Epping course, I net at least 30 New Zealanders, of all degrees, who are on visits to Sydney, ard most of them were ardent betters, too. One plunged and lost to the tune of £7 10s; another was winning £ll- - former had a system of laying ever-increasing bets, as he lost; the other man made low bets on the favourites, and as he won-—for the favourite almost always wins at the dogs—he, steadily increased hi 3 wap* s with the bookmakers. With a rac? every 15 minutes, one is kept busy between the bookmakers’ platform an<* the ringsde. and when the mechanic** hare comes thundering round, while the dogs go nearly mad with excitement in their cages, it is a thriilinf experience, especially with one or two wins to warm one up. As a betting chance, however, it is .all in favour oi the bookies. The fact is that, once the dogs string out after the dash, those in the ruck cannot see the hare, and merely follow their mat*?, often not realising the necessity opassing them in order to win. of the dogs treat the race as a of fun, others snap and push at tn turns. A kindly Australian, in gg™ a New Zealander some tips, said: t»a. Dick Turpin for the last race; he is the only one in it if he does not to fight.” WILL LAWSJh-