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Port Paragraphs
CAUSTIC COMMENTS -- ON AFFAIRS AT FREMANTLE
There is to be a contest for each of
the three Fremantle seats at the Im-
pending State elections. As already
intimated, Mayor M'Laren and John
Stewart are opposing Brother Carpen-
ter for Fremantle proper, and "Billy"
"Watson, of prodoce fame, is seeking
to bump Harry Bolton at South Fre-
mantle, while, at the eleventh hour,
"Sammy" Thomson has come forward
in opposition to "Pill" Angwin at
North-East Fremantle* Of the three,
"Pill" seems to hold the safest seat,
but, nevertheless, he is not so secure
as some people seem to imagine. Wil-
liam is not the idol of the people he
used to be, and, by the rank and file
of ¿abortete, it is considered that he
has become a little too bumptious, and
needs a lesson. Bis opponent is an ex
Mayor of Bast Fremantle, where he is
very popular. The leanor Party, while
it professes to be very confident, is
taking no chances, and It is remark-
able the interest "Happy Jack" and
his colleagues are taking in the Port.
"Happy" is booked to visit the seaside
-to-morrow (Monday) week to speak
in the interests of the I¿abor candi-
dates, and, no doubt, to make .many
promises. Fremantle has suffered for
a long time from Government lethargy,
and the Government is beginning to
realise that the people are refusing,
to be cajoled any longer, and is mate
ing a desperate effort to retrieve
itself.
* * * * * *
Laet year this paper entered upon a
vigorous crusade against the deplor-
ably dirty state of the Port. Our com-
ments were shown to be justified by a
hair-raising report submitted by In-
specter Sellenger as the result of his
inspection of the licensed houses of ac-
commodation in the town, and much
good resulted. Latterly, however, there
has been a return to the former care-
lessness in respect to the administra-
lion of the town's affaire, with the re-
sult that things are as bad as ever.
The gutters of the principal streets are
in a shockingly neglected state, and
are fitted for anything but that for
which they are intended, carrying
away filth and debis which accumu-
late in the thoroughfares. Probably
when there is another epidemic of
plague someone in authority will
realise that it is time to get a hustle
on.
The municipal elections will be held
next month. So far there has been no
mention of candidates, and judging
by the lethargy exhibited when appli-
cations were called for to fill a va-
cancy recently created at the council
table there does not appear to be a
surfeit of candidates. It might be
argued that it is yet early to talk
about elections, but people are becom-
ing so painfully apathetic at the sea-
side nowadays that apparently no-
thing short of a bomb can shift them.
The place is allowed to drag its way
wearily along what time the suburbs
along the line to Perth are being built
up at the expense of the Port. True,
our friends around at the Trades Hall
occasionally make an effort to Justify
their existence by launching a -hair
raising resolution or two, htit the. sec-
tion which shrieks jvould. appear to be
more concerned about the purity in-
stead of the prosperity of the popu-
lace. It had a chance the other day
to do the town a good turn when its
aid was sought to in ance the Govern-
ment to agree to the stoppage of trains.
opposite tbe Government Implement
Works so as to save a long walk, to
the works for employes travelling to
the suburb by train. It agreed to lend
a hand to its "footsore" brethren,
whereas its duty to the town was
to ascertain whether it was not pos-
sible for these men to reside at the
Port which gives them their living.
Fremantle has for too long been a
fountain for other parts of the metro-
polis to take their fill, and the sooner
St is realised tbe amount of money
which is annually lost- to the Port
.through people who get their living, at
Fremantle living elsewhere the better
for the town. This is a, matter that
tbe Trades Hall might well take -up.
Tho Municipal Council, apparently, is
too much of a mutual admiration body
to tackle such a momentous question.
* * * * * *
The Fîre Brigades Board has suc-
ceeded in inducing the Fremantle
Council to pay it an annual fee of
£200 for a motor ambulance service.
The board will maintain and manage
the vehicle and waive-that absurd con-
dition regarding the « 2J-mile radius.
* * * * * *
According to the Fremantle Health
Inspector everything in the garden is
lovely as regards the way in which
things are carried out in the places of
business and manufacture in the town.
Probably so; but are things as satis-
factory as they might be as regards
the surroundings of some of these
places? What about the backyards?
* * * * * *
The matter of closing the tunnel
leading from High-street to the sea
front was before tbe Fremantle Coun-
cil during the week. Councillors are
agreeable to the closing of the tho-
roughfare with the exception of the
footway for pedestrian traffic. lt is a
moot point as to whether the decision
of the council will be popular. With
the fruit sheds, the council's stone
crushing plant, and several residences
to which the tunnel gives access, its
closure will seriously inconvenience
a lot of people, and it is questionable
whether the thoroughfare through the
tunnel is any more dangerous, as is
claimed, than other and more incon-
venient routes.
* * * * * *
The Fremantle Council is on the bor-
row again. At its last meeting it was
decided to adopt the recommendation
of the finance committee , to agree to
the Tramway Board's request for the
council to take the necessary steps to
have an amendment in the board's
special Act, increasing the borrowing
powers from £150,000 to £200,000; and
also to take steps to borrow their pro-
portion of' £10,000, being the amount
of unexhausted borrowing powers un-
der the present Act, to enable the board
to increase the power-house plant.
* * * * * *
There have been many complaints
respecting thc inefficiency and the bad
quality of the water supply of the
town. This is no new grievance, and
it is surprising that steps have not
been taken to get a supply from Mun-
daring weir, from which the shipping
takes its supply. The matter is to be
dealt with at the next meeting of the
council.
----------------------------------
Reference was made in these co-
lumns last week to the dissatisfaction
existing in respect to the preference
to naturalised Germans in the matter
of employment on the wharves? The
lumpers have passed a resolution that
in future they will decline to work with
these men.
* * * * * *
As no doubt is generally known,
many of our citizen swaddles are in
camp at Fremantle Park. The camp,
from what the writer hears, is admir-
ably conducted, but there is one mat-
ter which has caused considerable
complaint and needs some attention.
I refer to the bunches of "flappers" and
has-been "flappers" who prowl in the
vicinity of the camp o' nights. From
what can be gleaned, some at least of
these specimens of femininity are by
no means of a desirable type, and the
fact that they attract a section of the
kinchins from the camp to parade them
about the quiet streets makes one ra-
ther fearful as to the safety of some
of the foolish youths. Of course, the
military authorities do all they can to
prevent these nightly prowlings, but
they cannot see everything, and it
certainly seems time that the police
took a hand. It is hardly the custom
of respectable girls to hang around a
military camp at night, and certain it
is that they do so with the object of
attracting some of the cavaliers from
the camp. If rumor speak true, the
same thing was in evidence when the
last batch of trainees was under can-
vas at the Fremantle Park, and if the
Came, is not lying harder than usual
things .happened that shouldn't haye.
As already mentioned, the military
authorities are not at all to blame, yet
one cannot throw oM the blame on
that foolish section cf the - lads who
take notice pf .these rather doubtful
females. What the writer suggests is
that a policeman be sent, for a stroll -
in the vicinity one of these nights so
that he may draw hb> own conclusions
and take whatever action is considered
necessary.
* * * * * *
There was a bit of a rumpus on the
wharf the other day when the lumpers
refused to work cargo on one of the
prize steamers because five Germans
were down below. The cargo -handlers
gained the day, the men from Kaiser-
land being removed to Rottnest.
* * * * * *
Sammy Thomson, who is butting up
against "Pill" Angwin for the North-
East Fremantle seat, was for some
years a well-known Fremantle busi-
ness man, being a member of the firm
of Tucker and Thomson, of Henry-
street. Since relinquishing business at
the Port, "Sammy" has been dabbling
in hand, and has gained a lot of experi-
ence that will be useful to him should
he have the good fortune-or misfor-
tune-to get the privilege of tacking
M.L.A. on to his name. He did good
work when Mayor of East Fremantle.
* * * * * *
The Fremantle Trades Hall members
at a recent meeting decided to take
steps towards alleviating distress ac-
casioned by the bad times. An investi-
gation was made of the number of un-
employed at the seaside, and the first
step taken was to send a batch of the
workless brigade into the country,
where work had been secured for them.
We understand that assiduous efforts
are still being made to place a lot of
others that are in need of work.
* * * * * *
At a well-known Fremantle hostelry
there is a granolithic "lawn," painted
green, with a pathway of a yellow hue
some 4½ft wide. The Irish boniface
responsible denies that any slur was
intended when that "lawn" was laid
down, though any hiccupped Hibern-
ian is at liberty to trample the orange
to his heart's content. And thereby
hangs a tale. This yellow stripe is the
centre of all arguments -- Home Rule,
shickered and otherwise. Ability to
tread the path is proof positive that
the pedestrian is sober. A well-known
Hibernian, at one time privileged to
grace the carpets at the Harvest-ter-
race Talking Shop, essayed t'other day
to prove he had not been overcome by
the sea air at the Naval Base, but fail-
ed lamentably to keep on the path.
Still he is unconvinced, and asserts
that it was not so much his inability
to tread, the path as his hatred for the
color and the fascination of the green
which lured him off.
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