"TRUTH" TALKS

NZ Truth, Issue 881, 14 October 1922, Page 4

"TRUTH" TALKS

WITH THE MAN AT THE CORNER ON TOPICS OF THE TIME ' "The Man At The Corner" exudes wisdom at both his paws- as well as from his mouth this week. He discourses anent the . uncleanliness of the carriage of the milk to the City depot, the falsity of the milk tokens which a discriminating public is trying to foist upon the tram conductors m lieu of mere money, the accessibility of Parliament to Civil Servants, back stabbing m , the same service, the railway restrictions upon the public being allowed on platforms to assist departing relatives and friends, the doings of Bung, and the fact that m many instances public j services which went up m cost when wages were increased have not shown any inclination to follow the "cut down."

MISSING CHANCES. "Is the Railway Department really hard up, 'Truth'?" , "Well, we gather so, the brilliant management has brought about a daily loss that should suit you pretty well x for a yearly salary unless your ideas are almighty high and ridiculous." "Then can you tell me why the Department deliberately throws away chances to make money m a simple manner that folk have been asking for for years?" "What do you suggest: that the railway folk should start a road service m opposition to their train work?" ; "Very funny, but I'm quite serious." "Be serious then, but don't go into finance deeply; this is. our very busy day." , . ' . "Nothing deep about this idea. Why can't someone persuade McVilly that it would be to the benefit' of his Departmental pocket to let folk on to '.■railway statiofis to see their folk away. It's bunkum to say that the crowd would be so great that -the porters could not $0 their jobs. Xo one is going to spend, good money to watch a train go out for the fun /of tho watching.- . Maybe threepence doesn't keep the purely nosey ones away; then let him charge them sixpence. I sent away the wife and the two nippers this day, and watched them through the bars struggling with, baggage and looking- for porters who were somewhere else." '

"Wffl "Yes; it's rough on women and j worse on old folks." "Well, let's get down' to mathematics and' work- it out m pounds and shillings. Supposing that m one year ten thousand passengers averaged one and a 'Via lf friends to see them off and five thousand averaged ." "Sorry, old man, but this is our busy day; of course, ,it is as plain as daylight, but we are afraid that you are up against a red tape entanglement." THE C.S. IN PARLIAMENT. "Morning-, Mr Civil Servant; why do we find you here m working hours? Your King and country need you, seeing that they ipay' your wages." "isrot so. 'Truth', I'm but an inrfiocent retrenchee, ?*.nd it's a good job,( too, while the three months' pay holds out. The election will be nearly over then and the service will stock up again. Nothing like making a show for the time being- to catch the merry vote; still C.S. votes count a few as well, but I didn't call up about that." "Then what's the trouble?" "Re the Political Rights of Civil Servants Bill, or whatever it may be called, the Bill to grant Civil Servants full, political rights and a seat m. the House, if they have the luck to get there. Tom T7ilford has battled along on that line for long enough and gave the .Government a big run for it once before, an equal division." "What's the general opinion among the Servants; or what was it when you left last week?" "Well, generally speaking,-. no one has a grouch over the proposal that a Civil Servant contesting a seat shall have to take leave without pay while the platform work goes on or Awhile the House sits, if his luck is ii|( that much; but no one really thinks that the Bill w.ill ever comej to anything this session." . ; "You' moan it won't be put through m time?" "Massey is. full of promises on that score, 'before the House very soon' and so on, but that matters neither here nor there; m the general opinion of the Service, for the feeling is that what happened before will happen again, and- that is that tho Upper House will never let that Bill past it. The Bill is likely enough just a bit of electioneering bluff, .something like a Cunga Din cocoanut, all the looks on the outside." BACK STABBING. Met' Mr Ex-Civil Servant later m the week, and asked him if there wtia anything- fresh to add to his grouch. He answered thusly: "1 have just discovered why I have been retrenched and though there is no need to go into details m my particular case I do want to register a general grouch from myself and others feft to be retrenched about the miserable secret report business." i

"Secret, about what?" "About us. A time ago the P. and T. Association got busy with the annual report system and obtained from the Postmaster-General all understanding that officers should have the opportunity of looking over the reports being- sent on to headquarters as to their work and capabilities and ot adding' a remark or two of their own it they considered that anything- was over the edge." "That holds good to-day?" "Yes, no doiibt, but retrenchment doesn't follow the issue of tho annual reports. The word to go comes after the sending m of these specials."' "And do you suirgest that everything is not quito above board m their makin.tr up?" ■ "I certainly do — just leave my case right out of the argument — there are personal likes and dislikes among- the Service bosses just as there are 'in any line of work, and capabilities and work tlon't count with the man with a ►spike to place m the back of the man below. The same thing used to happen with the annual reports till the Association took it up, but then it was not, so damaging as to-day, for it meant at most that a rise. was not forthcoming-

or that promotion was for someone else', but to-day it means the word to go." "Your remarks about your old bosses are hot too. complimentary^ Mr Man." "Probably not one m twenty would get down to such dirty work as I suggest, but one m twenty is more than enough these times." BYTHE SAME TOKEN. \i "What's that m you." pocket, Trammie; it's too near one pay day and too fa.r'past" the other for a legitimate jingle like that?" '• / ! "Norwood's milk tokens-" "Been buying; a stock for wife?" . "No, sirree, they came among the fares; "quarts for ' bobs, pint and halves ; for surats and pints *for tray tits." . . " T ' .-■■ I ' Nice for the. wife." .'..-" "Yes, but it's no damn good to. me, and it is not going to be any too gooct. for the time-saving' virtues of Nor-' v/ocd's scheme after this, either! . We ciro not over-fond of turning m short ciish and having wages docked accordingly, and from now on anything that's passed us m the cars is going lo get the once-over." "That's going to take up CityiCounci 1 . time *' . . "Surely; an^ it's going to take up rci ore time than Norwood is going to s&xe with his dinkey little, counters, but that's not our fault. Why he couldn't have pjut up with a square or triangular counter, I don't know, or if he had to have a round one why not one with a bite that couldn't be ntssed. Another thing, that Suprema 0 Situ coat of arms that Norwood liked so well because it's pretty looks all one with -the back of any Aussie coin. Believe me, " 'Truth,' there's; going to be some fun with those metal tokens yet. They' place temptation fair and square m the way of youngsters, but you . believe me again when 1 say-that we trammies are going 'to stand aside from little jokes like that, even if it does eat up City Council hours.' 1 , "FERRY" TALES. "Morning, •Truth!'" "Good morning; anything fresh?" ■ "No, I can't say there ia. Things generally are just . the same. Of course, it's not much, 'use growling, but I think the Devonport Ferry Co-, is making it a 'bit hot m" keeping up the fai\es." "Surely the ' company hasn't bumped them up again?" "No, they could hardly do that unless' they, wanted to chase everybody off the Shore." "Well, why the grouse?" "Of course, yo.u don't happen to live across the harbor or you wouldn't ask.. iLook here ;\ you know that when the war was on they raised the fares about fifty per cent., the. excuse being that the Arbitration Court had increased the employees' wages."

"Did, they do that?" ' "Don't I tell you they did (getting wild). But I .might -also tell you 'thai for long- hours and small wages nobody has anything on the ferry fans." . "What's the matter now then?" "Well, the Arbitration Court has chopped three lumps off the wages m the way of bonuses. Don't you think the fares - could stand one chop at least?" "Haven't they been reduced at all?" "No chance. There is not much likelihood of them doing that unless the residents make a stir about it." "Why don't they make a 'stir' as you call it?'-' . "Because they're .'mugs'. "s "Where do you live?" "With the 'mugs'. Good morning." MILK AGAIN. "Still whanging at the poor old City Council milkman, I see, 'Truth." "Oh, you can't say 'whanging,' but if something- heeds pointing out we point it. -The system is a mighty lot % better than it was; of that there is no doubt, but even so there are a few points that need clearing up." "By Jove, you're' right, something I happened past a day or two ago. needs clearing up, ,and cleaning, too. Gee, 'tws a hummer! Talk about a bunch of sweet smelling spring violets ana the 'melliferous' breath of the kine; it was cowy right enough, but anything but melliferous. Words fail me, 'Truth." : . ■ ■ ■ "They fail us badly, too. seeing that we haven't the slightest idea of what you may be driving at. Where is this bunch of violets?" "One of the City Council's lorries used to bring milk cans from ! the country to the depot. You simply oould not stand, near it while the sun war, out." , v - ■ • "My boy, don't, you know that the City Council points with pride at the faultless hygienic methods followed at its bottle store?" "Weli, take, it from me. it- could not« point with, pride at that lorry. The under-carriage was festooned with what had once been milk spillings and road dust, and how many millions' of bugs sat and sunned themselves upon its platform the. good Lord knows." -• "Sounds unsavoury.""Sound does not greatly matter; smell is worse, and such a risk of contamination is worst." > "Yes, everything ib not quite all well with' the milk supply. We are quiteprepared to admit that the system •followed at the depot is the last thing m cleanliness, but cleanliness should start right from the jump'-?— in the milking shed— and should be followed up all along the line. Well, it is to be sincerely hoped that the big Dunedin milkie's who have taken, up the Wellington idea of a bottle supply will profit by what Wellington has learned m practice and will see to it that all the, hygiene is not inside their bottle works." • *- DON'T WORRY. "What's new this, we.ek?" "Nothing- but spring 'flowers — and they're pretty rotten this year. ■ "Ha! Tfou're 'some sort of optimist to-day! What's up?" . . ".lust thinking what I'll be like next year when the booze is cist out!" "Don't try and be ■humorous. Justffiye me your candid opinion on how things are going- m dear old Christchurch. , . . ''•'Of course, you can't help chuckingoff; at the City of the Plains— the citadel of Doc. Thacker, and other freaks." "Now your getting nearer my meaning. We must always look to the City of Freaks to get a true reading of the' national barometer as the Silly Season approaches." "SMIy 1 -«eaprir>'. What do you mean?

''Well, the elections are coming along, aren't c< they T 7 And the Booze Poll?"- , ' "Well, the Liquor Poll is not bad. But after all it's* only a perennial eruption that provides a vent for throwing off a_lot of hot air, sulphurous . smells, \ and verbal brick-bats." The Licensing Elections are merely a recurring incident m our lives when •a pack of faddists have a squabble with, and incite the populous against heavily entrenched Capitalism." "Or, m other '•words, a vicious hive of bees set out to try and get their stings through the thick \ hide of a drowsy, fat, old person they call Bung." '■■■'.'.■" i "The 1 way I see things Bung doesn't like being worried so often, but he merely snorts and gets his friends of the Moderate League to try and swish a.side his tormentors, or entice them away with., ihoney, that exudes from the brewery bung-holes." , "But. don't you think Bung is taking^ things .too easy? Why doesn't he get 'up arid shake himself?" "No, Bung 'is wise not to make too much ,of , a stir. It would mean remodelling the old sty, which isn't too savoury." ( ' "That's . just what I think. But he jva^nts to put it m order a bit before ihe"elections. If he goes out he has only himself to blame, because he won't reform or adopt a cleaner habitation." "But that's what the Moderate League is out for* isn't it?" • "My dear chap, dont try and be facetious. You know jolly well the State Control issue is just a red her 7 ring to squelch sdme, of the^ aroma that arises from .the sty." '■ ■ "But Bung doesn't want State Control?"- ■: -... ■ ' " ' ■ "You- take it from me, he doesn't care a continental how many sideissues there are so long as they don't sting him. Every vote cast for State Control means a Vote against NoLicense, and that's going, io save his hide a .whole lot and incidentally save you* a deal of bother." ' - I; "Why me?" • " . ...i "We11, . : you're not looking for "vio'iient changes m your mode of life any more than Treasurer Massey is booking for new means to finance our blighted country if Booze revenue stops short." ..:..•.... "So you're not worrying about Pussyfoot and the other Yankee missionaries that " are howling up, and down the country?" ."Not. on your life. They'll cut mighty little ice when the ballot boxes are emptied. Besides, • if we hadn't ,-them here we would have some" other '• pests, and this scrap means putting" quite a tidy bit of money m circulation. So why worry? These Licensing elections are merely""~a diversion m our humdrum lives, and as long as the populace don't lose their heads we'll just paddle along m the same old way next year as we. have m the past. . The whole thing is 'summed up m: 'Don't Worry.' "