COLOURED CREWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 272, 16 November 1910, Page 9

COLOURED CREWS.

. ._ OHI BITORY LEGISLATION ■? PROPOSED. ' '%0& PASSES SECOXD READING. MiEGATIONS AGAINST UNION COMPANY. .' ■ rfeiegrapli.— Parliamentary Reporter.) i ■ , WELLINGTON, Tuesday. '■fat micuiig' l * ' n t i e House of Reprcuntatiws the Hon. J. A. Millar moved the second reading of the Shipping and Seamen Amendment Bill, which is de•Scriied to prevent crews composed of lAsiatics competing unfavourably ugainst ■trews composed of Britishers. The bill nmoscd that ships so manned should Lrtly with our laws rclat 'ng to the muffling a™ l Tate of wa K O3 prevailing on iJDs running between New Zealand and ■Australia. At present, said Mr. Millar, ttj'p. and 0. Company was running ves{{l3 between Sydney and Auckland, and U3 barging £2 more per passage than rth&Union or Huddart-Parker Companies. L, measure became law it would ' iLply mean that, instead of that i' 2 S to the P. and O. Company, it would Lγ the offers of the State, lie thought Ac time had arrived when, in order to wotecVthe white seamen in this part of L world, some such provision should v Bide; This measure and the Aus- '. Julian -law in regard to ships trading fotseen Australia. an d Tasmania should jo Home together, to be considered by ttJilmpenal Conference. .jlr • Massey said he did not like the idea of coloured labour, but he did not 0k such a proposal should go through vithout serious consideration. The intaken'in this problem was very At indeed, and the Minister would have g go carefully, for there was a very "widespread impression that this bill was Inspired by the Union Company. The idea ■josftat the Union Company desired to •ijje Parliament to gut rid of such com.petition as that brought about by the junction of the P. and O. service. It ,na jnst as well to speak plainly, and let the Minister know what the feeling TBS all through the country. Personally ■Jβ wa3 not going to allow the Union Ctanpany to make use of him. At the same time, lie realised the necessity for jßaintainiiig a fair rate of pay amongst BSDME, and he trusted that members jronld devote themselves seriously to the pmsideration of the problem. :Mr. Ci H. Poole spoke strongly in lavoar of the bill. On a, P. and O. bout, he' said, eight firemen could man the stokehold, and these men received an average ivage of 24/- per month. On cue of ,the intercolonial boats itiho wages paid to the men in the stokehold aggregated £60 per month. For a long time members of the Federated Seamen's •Union 'had been concerned very deeply ly the 1 encroachment of cheap' Asiatic labour in ithese waters, and unices some immediate action was taken he feared to think what the consequences would be.

JMri A. B. Glover also briefly spoke in 'support'of the -bill. ■Mr. W. H. Herrie3 said at was extremely doubtful whether His Majesty's tonsenb would ever "be given ito enable ■■ ilm'hitf'bo came into 'force... Such be-t'-ft'g'-l&S'tase, it Ihardly" seemed worth -iffle disfciissiiag it. Even if Imperial ' OTcfiofa were forthcoming, he was quite it a loss to understand how the law wild' Iβ enforced. He asked would it le irise to close our ports to companies like th() P. and O. ? If New Zealand, was certain that another company like the Orient would replace the P. and O. service, it would toe all right; 'but there itras no such assurance. Mr. foole: They will all be down lore soon. ■ Mr..-gerries: perhaps so. I would certainly like to see the Orient, the Mesagerie?, and the N.D.L. Companies muking New Zealand the final port of call, but the question is how would this measure, if it becomea law, apply to them! lie probability is that the scale of ivrages paid on these vessels would also lave to be readjusted when compared fo| tie rates of pay on, intercolonial boats, ■ Sir Joseph Ward said the measure was introduced 'Tvdth the intention of pretcrrag i -the' interests of Ne-w Zealand's ttercanifle. , marine, which had (taken Bany years to'establish. If some such law Tvwe not passed, competition would leceesitaie our intercolonial .boats beOig manned by Lascars and Asiatics, or tise ]>$ Europeans, receiving a rate of wages .no higher than that now paid mc coloured crews trading in these ..»atert.. That was the crux of the whole problem, and members 'had to face it .seriously. He looked upon it as very / important that this bill should be passed, so that New Zealand's representative at the coining Imperial Conference fcould lave his bauds strengthened. In tondnsion,»Sir Joseph said he did not 'pat to see the P. and O. Oo.'s boats .TO out of New Zealand porte, but the Government would have to- see that Bri:.teli; ; ofers ojid seamen with their Aomfcj in' tthis country were not compelled to enter into competition -with crews jraidi'did not earn a living wage. He noped that the bill would be passed tottnimbusly. ~Hie. Hon. Mr. Millar said he could |;ve:Jrr. Massey'a statement thai the :»ul had been instigated by the Union wmpany a most emphatic denial. The won Company was, of course, very J"}™ interested., but there were over M,WO men in this country directly dependent on shipping, ~n <i their interests had to ibo conserved. Urn. WHford: Would not a resolution to toe House mee t your purpose? Mr. SEllar: Xo; that would not

'Mr. Maeeey: Woidd one Chines ß cook JJ 1 i' P brhl S vessel ■within the of the, Act? few J^" ,^miar: " Y<5S " The Mm T. oDly ° OTS ' itt thPSe Wa t erS Si i^ lOUred labOTr - ThG tlmber m bvl he h ? ds of boate p oor, y 'mTcn y chea P foreign crews. v-Lne Ml .was then read a second time.