COURT OF ARBITRATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 15, 19 January 1898, Page 2

COURT OF ARBITRATION.

SEAMEN'S UNION V. SHIP OWNERS.

(Before Mr Justice Williams, President, Messrs Henry Thompson and Robert Slater.)

The following evidence was taken at the sitting of the above Court in addition to what appeared in the last issue : — Maunscil Frederick Hardinge, fireman, deposed he Had been going to sea on and off the last 20 years. He had been in the Union Company and Northern Company's vessels. Ho was in the Rotomahena on the Thames trade, and left her about five months ago. If it was his turn to take her to the Thames, lie would go ashore about 12 o'clock, supposing the vessel started at four. Shortly put, one watch took her to the Thames and another brought her back. He was in the Rotomahana when she ran to the Thames every day. That was known as a double trip. Before the Wakatere came on he believed the double trips were run six weeks at a stretch. Leaving the Thames at 5 o'clock, it would mean the fireman worked 9^ hours. In double trips cargo was discharged as soon as they got alongside the wharf. One fireman had to remain on board. They would be at the wharf from two hours to three and a-half hours and then start for the Thames. The work was pretty well continuous when they were,running double trips, excepting one night each week. It was nothing but work those times, as there was a large quantity of cargo carried. One sailor had to be at the wheel and another had to be ready if wanted. If he was not wanted he could sleep. Before the Wakatere arrived witness was putting in 12 to 16 hours a day. The sailors worked longer hours, as the firemen had the best of it. Work had to be clone on Sunday. One time they blew down the boiler and found it wanted chipping, and it was done. Mr Brown said he would try to get them overtime for it. They did not get that overtime. One holiday the sailors got 10s overtime. Witness had to keep up steam for them but got no overtime. When they were at the Thames the sailors refused to work cargo on Sunday, and other men were put on. Those men got 24 hours' notice. Cargo was worked on Sunday three to four times to his knowledge. When the single trips were run he worked longer hours than he did under the Union Company. A man named Kennedy spoke to the manager about the Sunday work. The manager said he could do nothing in the matter, but if the complaint was put in writing and sent through the master he would enquire into it. In the Rotomahana the fireman used to look after the engine when the engineer was on deck. Witness was in several of the Union Company's boats. They worked four hour watches. Overtime was paid for on the Union Company forgetting up steam until the vessel sailed. As a rule they worked eight hours a day. Overtime was paid Is an hour, but for his own convenience he sometimes took time bffin Auckland.

By Mr Hanson: The double trips were not a general thing. It was only an exceptional thing before the Wakatere came on the running. Boats that arrived in Auckland from the Thames about 10.30. would get back to the Thames at six o'clock and -would then have to unload the cargo. After the men complained to Mr Hanson the Sunday work was soon stopped. Since witness left the Northern Company he had applied to get back again. He was perfectly satisfied with his position in the Northern Company and was sorry to leave as regards the work, but he objected to the long hours. He had applied to Mr Coutts to get on again, but he did not suppose there,.was much chance now.

Mr Hanson : You have given your evidence truthfully and I hope you will get on again. Witness: I did not want to come up here for I was afraid of injuring myself. Mr Hanson: Did you go to Mr Coutts and nay " give me an appointment and I will not have to give evidence ?" Witness : I told him if [ could possibly get out of giving evidence I would do so, but I had been summoned. Mr Coutts said something like, " Go up to Court and give your evidence truthfully." Mr Slater : Why were you afraid to come up here ? I was afraid it would be detrimental to me.- I was told only this morning by a leading man that if he thought I was an agitator he certainly would not give me a job.

By Mr Hanson; That was not one of the officials of the Northern Company.

By Mr Gow : He knew the boiler was generally blown down on Sunday when they were doing double trips. Putting- all his Sundays together he might have worked eight or nine Sundays. He only remembered one Sunday when the chipping was done. Many of the iireman of the Union Company were wishful to get on in the Northern Company.

Mr Gow said he hadmany such applications from fireman in the Union Company who wanted their Sunday at home. The witness had been satisfied, an<| now stood ready to take any job, and he'would be only too glad to put him on when there was an opening-. By Mr McGregor : The Northern Company's service would be a good job enough if he only had to .work eight hours a day. By Mr Niccol : Witness would sooner work with the Northern Company if the wages and the hours were the same.

By Mr Leyland: The men said the Stella was the best job out of Auckland. He did not' see why firemen .should get more money than seamen. He thought a fireman was better off than a man on shore who worked for 36s a week and had to find himself.

By Mr Belcher; If he was single he would sooner be in the Union Company, but his home was in Auckland, therefore he preferred the Northern Company. Arthur Mainland, engineer of the Roto-

niahana, deposed in answer to Mr Ranson that the firemen's hours on that vessel were about;eight hours.1 It was some time since they had fun double trips. Sunday work Was not the rule.

Mr Slater : How long is it since you have done Sunday work at the boilers. Witness : We did it last Sunday at the Thames.

By Mr Ranson : -It was not customary to do that on Sunday. He had no complaints from the men.

By His Honor : This week one fireman got up at six o'clock on Monday morning to get up steam. Steam would he got up by about 10 o'clock. The man had not much to do after that. He went oft" a little after ten, and returned to work when they left at midnight, when he put the ashes over the side and No. 2 brought her back. By Mr McGregor : It was impossible to work a man 16 hours on a single trip. The men admitted they only averaged about eight hours a day. By Mr Belcher :If bethought there was anything working wrongly in the engine room he stayed d own there. Most of his time he was in the cabin alongside the engine-room. The fireman did thegreasing but witness saw to the feeding of the engine. The last witness was a steady man with a good character. Witness discharged him for using a bit of waste to put out a lamp and then putting it on a locker. Witness considered that endangered the ship from tire and he would sack any man he found doing it. The fireman had nothing to do when the fires were banked. Witness was generally in his cabin. It was not the custom for a man to stand by when the tires were banked. In the Union Company when the fires were banked there was a watch on. There was

no danger in leaving an engine unattended when the fires were banked provided they were careful. If the boat was lying all day in Anckland he sent one man off, but one had to stand by in case he was wanted. It was possible for a fireman to be off for 16 or 17 honrs. If work was to be done he would work 24 hours. If there was any breakdown the fireman mightbe called at any time required. If anything went wrong when the fires were banked, witness himself would be held responsible by the Company. The cleaning out of the boilers at the Thames on Sunday took about five hours. He was going to ask for overtime for the men in this case. It was the usual thing to do so on the West Coast. By Mr Bauson: Witness never called upon the men to work 24 hours at a stretch. It was a rare occurrence for men to work at the boiler on Sunday. It was understood that the men got time allowance in lieu of the hours they worked on the boilers.

Joseph Wheeler, able-seaman, deposed he had been going to sea for 25 years. He had beon in the Northern Company's employ. He was on the Waitangi last. Twelve months ago he was in the Glcnelg. He found the work on that vessel pretty hard. They were paid overtime in that vessel. They were compelled to work overtime whenever called upon. Overtime was not always paid for in cash. Sometimes they got time off instead, anywhere theCaptaiucho3etogive.it. He had time off given both at Hokianga and Whangarei. If they were rilling up water in the morning and it came on to rain in the afternoon, they Avere generally told they could have time ott". They got only half an hour for dinner, but were always paid for that time. The half hour when taken was necessary to work with the tides. He could swear these were not three men in the Glenel^ stokehole while he was on board. lie was 7i months on that boat. He did not get many chances of reaching home, because there was only two or three hours. He never had money stopped for breakages. Once the Captain said he would do so, but witness heard no more about it. He had been told at Wanganui to stand by after 5 o'clock because some cargo was expected. They wore allowed half an hour overtime. They waited till nearly eight o'clock before the cargo arrived. He supposed he generally put in 14 to 15 hours a day. They took 16 tons of coal for the Wanganui trip, and that had to be shovelled down and the decks washed before 4 o'clock next morning. He hail also coaled bunkers at sea. They, however, spoke to the captain about all hands being put on that job, so that one watch undertook to do the work. They never gave time off only when there was no work to be done.

By Mr Ranson : He had known the Glenelg to be bar bound for several days. Mr Hanson : During that time you had practically nothing to do ? Witness (excitedly) : Nothing to do ! By the holy heavens, i think we were doing something ! We were taking water out of tanks at the public house and dragging casks to the boat up to our knees in sand.

Mr Ranson; You were paid for over time ?

Witness: Yes, whenever we worked overtime we got allowed for it. Once the captain gave me eight hours off when it was raining, although I had none coming. He wanted it to be ready for when I did earn it-

Mr Hanson: If that is so it was very wrong of the captain. You say the Glenelg almost invariably left for Wanganul on Saturday. Now, does it not often start on Thursday '! Witness: The Glenelg never left for ! Wanganui on a Thursday when he was on board. He had known it to lie off Opunake for a day and a night. Mr Hanson : You were resting ? Witness : Oh, yes, it was resting, I can tell you. Nice resting. William Alexander McGregor deposed lie was one of the owners of the Kiaora, Rose Casey and Maori. Those vessels were engaged on the river trade only. The Maori was 17 tons and her crew was captain, mate, engineer, and ordinary seaman. The Maori was in port every night, her longest run being six hours. The Hose Casey was also in port every night. There was an engineer, fireman, able seaman, ordinary seamen, besides the oflicers. The ordinary seamen started at £3 per month and worked up to £5. The Hose Casey was not bound to carry able seamen. The fireman gets £9 per month. Those wages had been paid on that vessel for the last 15 years. Overtime had not been paid. I)nring the strike river boats were not affected. The engineer had been on the boat 10 years. No complaints had been received from the men. There was nothing in the present outlook to warrant any increase ot wages. Unfortunately the Rose Casey and Maori traded with districts where rates had been reduced for six months on trial. The settlers advertised for some one with oil engines to take up the trade. The prices paid for produce were so low that settlers naturally wanted the expenses cut down as low as possible. On the Hose Casey the average work per day would be less than eight hours. Their boats neveT worked on Sunday at all. The Kiaora ran on the Paeroa trade. On that trip it took all they could do to get in eight hours work per day for iiremen. The sailors worked as near eight hours a day as possible. Once a fortnight it was longer and the other fortnight it was shorter, according to the tide. By Mr Belcher : On the Rose Casey the ordinary seamen started at £3. They were generally green hands from a farm at a start. If they showed ability they got an advance of 10s in six months and might reach £5 in twelve months. The Kiaora was the first boat his linn ran in the Paeroa trade. The present outlook for that trade was not bright, owing to the state of the mining industry. There had been a number of changes amongst the sailors.

Mr Belcher: Supposing your vessel leaves at five o'clock in the afternoon Witness : Yes, you take the very worst point possible as a starting point, because the men have already put in a full day, and then they have two hours on the trip.

Mr Belcher: You can choose your own time, then ?

Witness : Well start at ten in the morning. This week the sailors don't average much over seven hours a day. We never pay overtime. When we leave Paeroa at ten o'clock in the morning the men have two hours on the trip, and two hours at the cargo, That makes four hours for the day.

Mr Belcher: Don't you think £9 per month- is too much to pay a fireman ? How long have you been paying that ? For ten years, but times are so bad that I am afraid that £1 per month may have to be taken oft". I have never known the fireman on the Rose Casey to work 15 hours. Her longest trip is not more than ten hours.

The Court adjourned at 5 o'clock.