DODGER GODBER.

NZ Truth, Issue 87, 16 February 1907, Page 4

DODGER GODBER.

" OUR WORTHY FELLER CITIZEN." City Councillor and Queer Cuss Disapproves of His Waitresses Belonging to the Union. Firings and Resignations. ,

That mostj estimable townsman, Mr J. Godbet, who runs the pie-pavi-lion and entree-entrepot m Cuba-i street and elsewhere,* is strongly of opinion that the Cooks' and Waiters' Union is an evil thing calculated to upend the* Constitution and retard the onward march of Civilization and his own swift enrichment. ' Of course everybody knows .that "Goddy" is Only a name m ttie.' business and that he owes the success .of his mushmills to - his popular' and energetic wife. That's how he lias so much time to devote to running the 1 city. Strange how men who do not cut any ice m their own. affairs, cheerfully and intrepidly undertake to run those of the city or even of the nation ! To show his disapprobation of the waitresses joining the Union, brother Godber has been behjaving m a manner fthat marks hirn>; masterful and -^ll<iwsijtjie_jmrnensitj^of HIS SCARING; SPIRIT \ -- and the greatness 1 of his soul. The award of the Arbitration' 'Court, that waitresses should receive at least 17s 6d per week and 5s room rent' for sleeping out, became law on ■ December 1. Yet up to February 2 Mr Godber had not fallen • into line, and the Union took a hand and reported his recalcitrance to the' Court ; with the result that, to avoid unpleasantness, Godber made his first payment of ; 22s 6d per week to his' girls on February 2, He also -sacked three of them, for no apparent reason except that he wished to mark his august; displeasure at, their action m becom-\ ing unionists. His expressed reason was that if he had to pay Union wages he would have strong girls who were able to do the worlf required of them. Strange that these £irls had all been holding down their job for quite a while and had never exhibited any symptoms of frailty or physical inability .to > WRESTLE WITH THE HASH '' , or fight the 'cleaning, up proposition to a . finish. But as soon •as ever they had to receive decent wages they depreciated m, the . estimation of their employer, the; amiable Mr Godber aforesaid. Funny "-Row the price affects the value £f; lab 6£ T . Three other girls.. who were members of the vUnion, as, SAon as, they heaird that three of their sister-mem-bers were fired fdr ho other reason than that they wer^ unionists, gave notice thetiiselVei, as did two who were 'not unionists,}' so 'Mr Godber was soon shy 8 waitresses. Incidentally he was also shy- a considerable sum of money, for Mr Carey, the secretary of the Union, waited upon THE CAPTIOUS CATERER and gently but firmly separated him from the extra five -isMlllhgs a. week [fox each young .ladyV- right back to the first week m December .! Two of the waitresses : .wfi&ypaijtea ""out were«of a > class the Lamtiton-qtfay eatery will find it hard'-tb^Jlgpltojie, . One of them at^Chinner-y's, the swell fish-lunch place" of Sydney, while the other pufyinr'fiye years at that magnificent eatery. Bowman's Cafe, of the sanleiriEtdiant city, a house .where ,y.6u,- ..caTi get a real meal and where a tHne dinner m congenial company is a memory to be cherished. They . don't employ' scratch help at Chinnery's or Bowman's and '.to, remain? m'• the employ so long and. leave, such testK monials as these two. young women can shoWj is recommendation sufficient for any ;Kpa.t^- of the world where waitresses are 'employed. It is a pitvi Mr Councillor Godber should "cut off his nose, to spite his face," and it is probable that as soon as he takes time to consider the matter he will come to.; 'the -conclusion that fighting a strcing Union with a most worthy cause to advance, is a precious poor pastime- ■„ '