“Pensioned-off.”

Pahiatua Herald, Volume IX, Issue 1199, 26 February 1902, Page 4

“Pensioned-off.”

One way in which the Intoxicating Liquors (Suit) to Children) Act works is not at all unwelcome to the child ex-messengers, says the London Express. -three small boys were smoking cigarettes in a side street in the city and peering round the corner into a larger thoroughfare with caution, qualified by exuberant delight at the spectacle they saw. Nothing reinarkab.e was visible, however. Only the receding figure of a man in working clothes carrying a beer can in bis hand.

“ 'E’s my fawther,” said one of the juvenile smokers, “ and ’e ’as to fetch ’is own dinner beer. That’s wot we’re larfin’ at. Wot’s that to iarf abart ? Why, e used allers send me for it—an’d du't ’e just let me know it if I didn’t bring good measure!”

“And why don't you fetch it now ?”

“ Won’t serve me. Man at the Bengal Tiger ’e sez. the cops would be on his track if he wos to serve nippers any more—under fourteen, y’know. Ho ’e give me and Tommy and Oeorgie a huh each and sez we was pensioned off. We wos the only three kids as used to come for beer, and the man at the pub ’e saz ’e couldn’t be bothered wiv us any more. So fawther 'as to bring ’is own beer.’ “ And he doosn’t like it

“ Not when it’s rainin’, you take it from me. ’E grumbles to muvver somethink ckrouic. But ’e ’as an extry ’art' pint in the pub, you take it from me. We watched ’im tbrourb the swing door—didn’t us, Tommy ?” Ho the new Act has already brought relief to some of the younger white slaves of England, and the publican, with the courage of his convictions, settles flio “ sealed vessel ” difficulty t y declining to do business with cliil I messengers at all.