Freeloaders enjoy crews’ meals

For some time past an extraordinary state of affairs has existed on board some of the vessels in the port of Wellington at meal times (says the Post). Men who are either out of work or refuse to work have adopted the custom of inviting themselves to meals, and on one vessel just recently 15 turned up for breakfast, 14 for dinner and two for tea. The waterfront police have been keeping their eyes open for these men and Constable Munro arrested a man on a charge of being an idle, disorderly person. Next morning when this man was charged at the Magistrate’s Court, Subinspector McNamara had rather a strange story to tell of the men who go down to the ships for food. ‘‘These men,’’

he said, ‘‘are really leeches on their fellows, and sit at the crew’s mess table. They are allowed there, for it’s hard for a sailor to turn a man away from the table.’’