THE TAR ON SKATES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 216, 11 September 1911, Page 7

THE TAR ON SKATES.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —"Cosmopolitan," in a lot'ter headed, "The Tars on Skates," says that seamen before the mast, both in the navy and merchant service, are no doubt some of them very estimable in their way, but not altogether the class everyone cares to associate with, or that, "we as a, rule would like our wives and daughters make friends of." Everyone knows that there are good and bad in all calls of life, but if you take a hundred seamen and 'the same number of civilians, and could thoroughly investigate their past lives, I don't suppose the poor despised seamen would have a very large margin to the bad, and if "Cosmopolitan" should have a daughter, she (and he) will find out that she -can do far worse than have a mon-o'-war, or merchant seaman for a friend. While "Cosmopolitan" is right when he says that the superior officers in the navy would not like to meet the lower deck' men everywhere they went, when it comes to a common place of amusement, and both officer and man decide to pay their way, and go, they meet inside as gentleman both. I trust that when the warships come here again Jack will liave a chance to eujov a skate as well as anyone else, always providing that he is clean and well-behaved, and sober. Fancy a man, who claims to have had as much service afloat as "Cosmopolitan," writing in the strain ho does. It makes one wonder if ever he saw outside Tiri Tiri. Would it be too much to ask "Cosmopolitan" to send the Editor your discharges to look over?- 1 am perfectly willing and proud to send him mine. I have served 12 years in the Royal Navy, also abou't five years in the merchant service, but only under one flag, and that the British. —I am, etc., G. G. WOLFE.