SHIP OFFICERS' PAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 289, 6 December 1910, Page 5

SHIP OFFICERS' PAY.

AH AUSTRALIAN AWARD. MIHIMUM OF £150. (By -Caijle.—Press Association.—Copyright.) SYDNEY, December 5. dJ?T?* fiSZ™ 1 Court tooay Mr. Justice Higgios delivered iudgwl m coimeetioa with the Merchant Gwli case. He made an exhaustive comparison between the rates of pay existing in the English and Austrian shipping services, and compared ;*?* *ages paid to seamen in reference to toe purchasing power of the actual money they received in the countries where they lived. By this process he arrived at what he considered to be a fair minimum of £150 a year as necessary for an officer's sub■sistenee, which, deducting £30 as representing the value of an officers keep on board, made flO a month as a minimum for fourth and fifth officers, rising gradually to masters, according to tonnage -and the character of the vessels on which they were engaged, to £43 a month. Mr. Justice Higgins made reference to the Union Steam Ship Company's strict regulations and requirements from officers, remarking that in all grades the qualifications demanded exceeded those of the Board of Trade. No doubt tht qualifications were very excellent, but the company would have to pay an award, which is to be argued to-morrow -as to details. The matter had been practically left in the hands of his Honor by the parties concerned. _ The award in question prescribes practically eight hours a day ashore and afloat, regular periods of leave for officers while in home ports, extending from 21 to 28 days yearly for masters, and 14 days for officers. His Honor held that port pilotage exemption should be included as a qualification for masters, and that every master and officer should be entitled to absence from a vessel when at a home port from one hour after the vessel was safely berthed to two hours before the time fixed for-sailing. Overtime rates in port were fixed at masters 5/ and officers 2/6 an hour. The following are the minimum monthly rates for inter-State passenger vessels for respectively master, first, second, and third officers:—looo tons and under, £25, £16, £13, £11; under 2000 tons, £28, £17, £14, £12; 3000 tons, £32, £13, £15, £12; 4000 tons, £37. £19, £16, £13; over 4000 tons, £43, £20, £17, £14. For inter-State cargo vessels the rates are as under: —Under 1000 tons, £24, £15, £12, £11; 2000 tons, £27, £16, £13, £12; 3000 tons, £30, £17, £14, £12; 4000 tons, £33, £18, £15, £13; over 4000 tons £36, £13, £15, £13. In all cases the fourth and fifth officers' Tni-numim rate of pay ia fixed at £10. DEPIXTIKG THE MERCHANT WAVY. LOW WAGES AND POOR CONDITIONS. (Received 9.35 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. Mr. Justice Higgins, in the course of the Merchant Service Guild judgment, declared that one witness had said it was the ambition of seamen to get a job ashore, and one could hardly wonder at such ambition. The low wages and~homeless wandering conditions were rapidly tending to deplete the British merchant service of Britishers and fill ships with foreigners, and there were not wanting gloomy prophesies of the effect of this depletion on the naval power of the Empire.