COASTAL UNION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 174, 25 July 1890, Page 3

COASTAL UNION.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —As a number of letters and obher correspondence have appeared in your paper in reference to a coastal union, I ask your kind permission to insert a few lines. Ib appears that the men in the scows, timber and firewood vessels, etc., intend going in for a high rate of monthly wages, which I, as a practical man and well acquainted with the working of such vessels, consider cannot be carried out on this coast, owing to the number of bad bar harbours and difficult tidal rivers in which threefourths of the trade of this class of vessels has to be done ; for, as a rule, these rivers cannot be worked except from four fco six days out of each fortnight, or eighb to twelve days a month, and the bar harbours only when the wind and sea permit, 1 During the last three months many of the above vessels have no.t been able to cross the bars more than once a month, owing to the prevalenceof easterly winds and heavy sea on the coast. Such being the case I cannot see how monthly wages could be paid, and the only resource would be the laying up of the. vessels, and result in the timber, coals, tirewood, etc., beitig brought by rail (as is now largely done by Mr Qoldie and others), and the throwing out of employment of nearly all our coastal sailors and hundreds of coal miners, bush hands, firewood cutters, , etc. What should be done to meet the case is that an increase on the present very low rate of freights all round should be made, which would be a material benefit to the seamen, a thing much needed, particularly daring the last few months'bad weather on this coast. They must take the chances of wind and tide with the owners, and make the best use of favourable weather, when they can often make four tripe a' month, which would mean a fair pay, and would prevent the constant discharging of the men while waiting in harbour for toads, tides, weather, etc., as would be the case if under monthly wages.—l am, etc, '"Coaster.