SAGE AND ONIONS.

NZ Truth, Issue 88, 23 February 1907, Page 5

SAGE AND ONIONS.

STUFFING THE GRAFTERS' GOOSE. Sorry Predicament of Workers Engaged and Bamboozled by "Sage and Co. " Employment Agents.

It is only, a feW weeks ago that the ! occasion arose to comment pretty severely on the sharp snide practices of a registry, office-keeping fiilnr m Wellington, known as Sage and Co., which found its way into the Police* Court and was there fined for a breach of the Law governing the ( conduct of ; suoh establishments. Incidentally during the course of that prosecution, sufficient was said to justify the assertion that Sage and Co. are carrying on a crook game, and if Inspector Lindsay, of the Labor Department keeps his eyes skinned he'll cop another dase before long. In the case that did come to Court,' and m. which Inspector Lindsay was responsible for the prosecu*tion, it Was brought '-to light that , Saga and Co. had filched ate from a married couple, who engaged to go jto work on a Station, at Masterton right kt the. .time when the proprie^ tor df . the: station, had been stiited, ., It Was shown further that Sage arid/ Co. Were very much = behind, indeed curiously careless, m keeping their books", and, though pressure of business was urged, the- Magistrate de* clined to believe the excuse. In fact nobody else did or does, and it ap-» pears more thari likely that the neglect to keep books was simply part of the scheme to cover up the firm's crooked mode, of conducting its business. A great deal, more might have been heard of, the peculiar manner m which this registry-office concern is managed if the; opportunity had bej&ii given, but Sage ahd Co. pleaded guilty for the very purpose of avoiding publicity. It is much, to be v&gretted that a plea of guilty m the Police Couirt too often has the effect of closing the mouth of the prosecution and preventing being made public, what the public are entitled to know, for it . is certainly m the interests of people who seek employment per medium of a registry office that they should know the character of those W^ith whom they deal. Sace and Co., whose shingle is hung out on Custom House-quay, seem Capi able of any of the drooked doings that crook registry office-keepers are capable of and the latest, instance of their ..;''*• scuHvy Cruel treatment of clients suggests that it is high time that Sage and Company, were treated to a / free advertisement m "Truth." ' Here is the most recent Story of Sage and Onions. On Thursday week' they advertised, for several rabbitspoisoners for Molesworth Station, which is 65 miles from Blenheim. Three men who applied were erigaged at Sage's office and signed contracts to do the work at 4s per day and board and lodgings. Sage gave the men to understand that they Were to leave by the Wainui and catch the 6.15 a.m. train from Picton to Blenheim, and from there take the coach to Molesworth Station. Sage said the coach left at 8 o'clock that same morning.. The men erigaged accordinglyim /Wellington and' Arrived at 1 . Pictorr at' 5.30 a ; m. on Friday *and' found that the train did not leave Pioton for Blenheim, till 8.15 •a.m. This train the men caught and ararived ih Blenheim at 9,30 a.m. only to , find that the coach had left at 8 P'clook,' and further /enquiries showed that there would not be another coach till the following Friday (Vestertfay). Being penniless*, having paid their passages, the men were m a most disagreeable predicament ; and being unable to return to Wellington had to prill through the best Way possible. One pf the men, Writing t 0 "Truth." saya. , "Now, Mr Ediitor, what I ask is who are we to hold responsible for this, shoddy sort of business? What we/want is ; justice and nothing, else. Have we power to make the persons m question (Sage and Co.) p&y the expenses which we are under through the delay ? We say that' Sage and Co. should be .' held responsible for same and wp wish to know whether we have poWer to take action for our ex- , perises until the departure of the next coach?" Certainly Sage, and Co. are responsible and the meh m question should loSe- no" time m demanding their ex--penses, and m the event of tliat.demarid not being ' complied with legal proceedings should be promptly instituted. On the face of it the Whole btisiness looks aS if Sage and Co., having extracted their pound of flesh from the urifortunate, stranded rab-bit-pPisdhers, and having packed them' off, recked little what befell their clients. They fell foul of the authoritties onoe, arid it behoVes. them to have a Care how they treat their poor unfortunate out-of-Wbrk clients m the future or they Will strike a whole heap of trouble.