THE MAORI HELD UP.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1899, 6 November 1913, Page 9

THE MAORI HELD UP.

MOB INFLUENCE THE FIREMEN. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Christchurch, November 5. Seven of tho firemen on tho Maori gavo notice at Wellington yesterday. •One withdrew the notice when tho ship arrived at Lyttelton to-day, but tho other six were paid off. One new man was engaged locally and five booked in Dunedin came up by tho second express. A tremondous crowd on the wharf, including ; strikers and out-of-work firemen, tried to persuade the Maori's men not to take the ship away. When the Dunedin train arrived on the wharf the mob surrounded the five men and told them they would be "scabbing" if they went. They were got on board, but were influenced by the mob to come ashoro, one by one,-each man being loudly cheered as ho camo down the gangway. The Maori's firemen emphatically. stated that-they would not sail without a full complement. At 11.30 p.m. the Maori was still at the wharf, and there appeared to bo little prospect of her leaving.

At an early hour this morning the Post Office received advice that the Mairi was still held up. Mr. W. Belcher, of tho Seamon's Union, Dunedin, was a passenger by the Maori, being on his way to attend the Seamen's Conference in Wellington,

A telegram ' received early in the evening from Dunedin said: —"It is officially stated by Mr. Belcher that a request was mado to fill the positions of •'tlio seven firemen who were leaving the Maori at Lyttclton yesterday. Successful efforts woro mado in Dunedin to secure tho number required, and tiio men went forward by train to-day to join the Maori at Lyttelton for tho run to Wellington. The opinion is held in Dunedin amongst many of the seamen that t'ho strikers in Wellington are moving in t'ho direction of completely alienating any public sympathy which may now bo felt for them by trying to hold up the ferry service. It is pointed out that sliould the running of tlio ferry steamers be 6topped a person who might receive an urgent call from ono Island to the other to visit tho sick bed or deathbed of a friend or relative] or attend funeral obsequies, would bd barred from reaching his destination, and then- there is also tho serious .inconvenience whidh will arise should passenger and mail traffic from tho Bluff to Auckland bo interfered with by tho ■enforced laying up of tho ferry boats. Furthermore, it is asserted _ that as these steamers aro not carrying cargo their running cannot materially affect the position of the strikers." . The Firemen Who Flinched. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Christchurch, November 5. In view of the above the following from our spccial correspondent is of interest :— . "Tho .caso for the men of the Maori ' was very clearly put to an ''Evening News', reporter this morning by a seaman belonging to that ship. 'People want to know.: -what, wo aro going to do in connections with the strike, or as the blatherskites call it, the great "industrial upheaval." Well you can tell them 1 ,, that tho, seamen of -the-Maori, and most of tho firemen, all good chaps, are going to do thoir duty as far as they aro able. Ono man approached mo- on tho wharf at Wellington and said: "Aren't you fellows coming out?" I told him ( we would not until we got authority from Dunedin. If you can tell mo how we aro going to benefit ourselves or other people by doing so, then we vill come out. Another, man said ho wanted us out. so that tho Union Company would have to get tho bulldog boys from the Psycho, to man the Maori and so give the mob at Wellington an opportunity of going round to try and slaughter tlho special constables. Tho position is that we recognise only Mr. Belcher, of Dunedin, as our secretary. From time to timo we have applied to him for advice, and ho has told us to stick to tho terms of our. agrcomont. We have done so without any infringement of the rules of our union or disgraco to ourselves as men. No free labour has been called in as yet. If it had been we' should have been out to a man. The'water-' siders ,want us to slip tho ship because t-lie Union Company has been putting coal on board with its .permanent staff of men. My retort is that that is a pigeon for the watersiders to pluck. They want us to do thoir dirty work and get the blame, wliilo they take, tho credit. Not muclu You can take it from mo that- many of thoso on strike would only bo too pleased to put up both hands, and their feet too, in favour of going back. Tho crow of the Maori are determined not to be coerced or intimidated into leaving their ship. We intend to do so only when wo get instructions from our secretary in Dunedin. We.are not "blacklegging" in any way, and wo don't seo why we should throw up our jobs at the request of a fow fanatics. Tho firemen aro not at all a bad crowd and don't really want to leave tlio ship. If they givo notice the seamen will only do so under protest. Some of tho men havo acted foolishly in leaving their ships, and I think • their intellects must bo on the wane.'"