WHAT IS A WATERSIDER?

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1917, Page 2

WHAT IS A WATERSIDER?

To the Editor. Sir. —I beg to crave space to reply to a portion of the letter appearing over tlie signature of "Sharemiiker." He lias been kind enough to give his analysis of a waterside)'. To ijuote his own words: "A big proportion of them are composed of men who have proved themselves failures, 'or worse' at everything they took on, drift to the city, wander i:\vn to the wharf, the only place where. I,he police won't move them on, get offered a casual job, pjoin the union, and from then on have the power to hold up the whole of the country's business.1 beg to differ with this misinformed, narrow-minded, "cockatoo analyist" with regard to the above statements. To hit the nail 011 the head "Sharemiiker" might as well characterise watersiders as the scum of the earth. I might inform him that we have men on the waterfront with brains, tact, and ability, who could buy him at one corner and sell him at the next; men who are rearing large families, distributing their earnings with the tradespeople and not in the beer shops,.as "Sharemilkcr" asserts. The worker of to-day has long since been educated to the fact that insobriety and prosperity do not go hand in hand, and when "Slmrcmilker" thinks that this degenerate class is tolerated 011 the waterfront he is sadly mistaken. Onr agreement with the shipping companies stipulated that men will not be admitted to membership unless they are of sober habits and good conduct, and this rule is strictly enforced. At the present time the gaol-bird beer-chewer variety of individual is conspicuous*)' by his absence on the waterfront. AVith regard to the local appearing in Saturdays issue you cleared this matter up from a local standpoint, but- we do not claim to he in a class by ourselves, as there are equally industrious men in other Unions and we are all linked up with the Waterside Federation. Thanking you in anticipation.—l am, etc.. N.P. WATEKSIDER.