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Conciliation Council

Good men and true;
Well-groomed and primed,
Well-fed employers.

Loud-voiced, ill-dressed;
Belligerent, sincere,
A little unclean—the workers.

With collar hot
Counsel for the workers
Cot to his feet
To ask for two-and-eight.
Eyes rolling white
In pained dismay
To feel their pockets touched
Employers bleat out "nay".

Stupid men.
thick skinned.
Lead souled.
They go into committee
Talk a little sex
A little Springbok
And return to disagree.

Conciliation Council
Met to-day
Searching for bread
The workers are—
The employers shocked
That they should dare
To bite the hand that fed.

—N.B.