ON THE WHARVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 69, 23 March 1937, Page 6

ON THE WHARVES.

In an article in Monday's. "Star" dealing with waterside workers' pay and gambling, you quote union officials as saying that most of the gambling on the wharves is indulged in by non-union labour. As a non-unionist, or "Seagull," as we are called, who has worked on the wharves for some time, I must protest against the above allegation. Your official informant quotes the recent arrest of gamesters on the wharves, pointing out that only two of those arrested were members of his union. Quite so. but the raid was made in close proximity to the spot where the nonunionists are picked up, a spot which is necessarily frequented only by them, the union men -being called from elsewhere. From my observations I am satisfied that the playing of games of chance is only indulged in by a few dozen of the "Seagulls," and then for only small stakes, the average "better being penny betters, though, of course, there are some larger investors.* Most of these men take part in this pastime merely as a means of whiling ; away the long hours of waiting for calls, which for us "Seagulls" are usually few and far between. Now for the other side of the picture. I assert that gaming on a large scale is carried on by union men during the meal hours at practically every ship which is being worked. Far from small stakes are played for. as your informant would have your readers believe, the amounts wagered daiiy being for very substantial sums. The suggestion that it is only non-union men who play for large stakes and the union men for negligible amou*.s, many of whom we are told are family men, is really" laughable in fact. Most of the non-unionists are family men, and, further, their average, weekly wage is only about onethird of that earned by union men. The difference between the non-union and union men as far as gambling is concerned is mainly this: the "Seagulls" play their small games practically in public view, the union men in more inaccessible spots. These are facts which are well known to the detective force, and why it pays so much attention to one section of gamesters and leave the other and much larger section alone is mystifying to me. I have no axe to grind, not being a participant in any of the games, but I can only conclude that your informant had his tongue wedged firmly in his cheek when he made allegations'which, to sav the least, he knows to be contrarv to fact. OXE OF THE XJUUJS.