Watersiders. and! Well-Fed League

NZ Truth, Issue 791, 1 January 1921, Page 1

Watersiders . and! Well-Fed League

Thus "Peaceful Bill":' These Jokers on the waterfront have been the cause of a lot pf fireworks being let off this last week or so. The Well Fed IJeague smeflt a rat. and not being able to catch it, so'oled the Chamber 6f Corijmerce, both of Auckland and Wellington, m company with the Harbor Board, on to it. The funny part about it all is that, when that rat shows its nose to those terriers, m the donkey room the first week m January, ten, ay, twenty to one, it will be "Good night, Mr. Rat.'.' Oh! the hypocrisy of the Well Fed League! Only, a week or so ago its two hired pen-pushers (at £750 and £500 ( a year, respectively) were * . full of the Whitley scheriie, and now, Lord, it's just like their "riaore production" Btunt— -aJll wibbly-wobbly., Fancy all these years the public has been left out m the cold and now the Well Fed League has just discovered it? Truly, this last big war has taught us something, and before the next one starts I hope the public will be called In. I wonder that the League doesn't cable to Lfloyd George, asking him to call the public m, on the Irish, "Indian, ,and Egyptian troubles. It's a darn good suggestion, you know. Why, before the doctors, the lawyers, the dentists, etc.', put up their fees,, call the wharfies m, because they will be part of the great General Public. When the Minister of Agriculture meets the farmers re the price of wheat, send along the General PubQic. Was the General Public represented when the butter kings decided to se}l their butter to the Imperial Government? Why, they would not entertain the idea, and they each turned down the British coYoperators' delegates when , they wanted to buy . their .produce. Surely, those gentlemeri represented a big share .of the British General Public. No, sir I the Well Fed League is out, as one speaker m the Chamber of Commerce says, to get rid of the Labor leaders,- and get a Header like we had some. years ago — a blind one, but who, nevertheless, kept his eye on the main chance!, I sometimes think this bit of a flutter was put up to take the attention of the wdrkers off the vexed bonus question and it looks* as ff it has succeeded too. Mr, Harper, m the organ of the League, the " 'Split-Post," under "Watersiders' Rates of Pay," remarks that several workers m trades h^ve inquired as to the pbntpnts of the wharfies' weekly envelopes, and states that the comment of- one skilled tradesman was: "The wharfies are getting more than their share. They do not serve, five years as we do to a trade, and they get more than us." ; My sympathy to that poor, sleepy joker, whoever he is, and may he and all like him .work fifty years at a trade arid. never get . any more. The mere fact that he writes to the Well Fed League complaining, stamps bim at once as a worker without an .ounce qf fight m, him. It. is the likes qf him that keep the worker down.. If Mr. Harper read* this I hope he will remember It: 'is the Christmas festive ; se'aijop,' "Peac£ on earth, goodwill, e£p„'f $nd p.# truce and let the poor wharfle tonjoy his turkey, c^ampitgrie. -3fgarrf-.--te.ha -ntitp ip- "peace fend 'bajiplneSs. ' : * '