CREWS IN AUSTRALIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1925, Page 7

CREWS IN AUSTRALIA.

SHIPS PREPARE TO GO.

NEED FOR SETTLEMENT.

'jjg. BRACE'S DETERMINATION.

SABOTAGE AT BUNBURY. i | fflr cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received 12 noon.) SYDNEY, this day. ; Additional men have offered their ' services to the oversea shipping agents. This had a perceptibly weakening effect , on the strikers' moral. The steamer Otira secured a full crew. 1 she will sail direct for England. ' All the other vessels are preparing for \ re moval from the stream to loading i berths in anticipation of the settlement , of the dispute. i A message from Melbourne says that jlr. Justice Powers, in giving his reasons for calling for a compulsory conference, Ba jd that there was serious industrial trouble, extending through all the States, that export to Britain was seriously retarded, and there was evidence of an urgent desire on the part of the Australian public that the strike should foe speedily settled. i Jlr. Justice Powers suggests that the 1 British seamen appoint three reasonable men in Melbourne and Sydney as repre(entatives, with power to settle, the ■ expenses of the Melbourne delegates to be paid if necessary. MB; BRUCE REAFFIRMS. i A message from Brisbane states that Jlr. S. M. Bruce (Federal Prime Minis ter), 'speaking at Gympie, reiterated the statement that the idle ships must be manned, adding that possibly trade unionism, dominated by extremists, might refuse to load them. If that occurred, ships must and would he loaded. It might also be necessary to protect the men who were working the shiDS. and should the State Governments fail to do this the Federal Government would step in and afford the necessary protection, acting under the power of the King's Peace of the Commonwealth. and of the Constitution, a power which has never before been exercised; WICKEDNESS AT PERTH. A message from Perth says that the engineers of the South African chartered steamer Apolda, which was tied up at Bunhury owing to the seamen's strike, found the oil containers leading to the main engines filled with san. Had the engines started the bearings would have been ruined in a few revolutions. — (A. and N.Z..Cable.)

THE DEPORTATION BOARD. MR. WATT'S ALLEGATIONS. h SYDNEY, October 13. The chairman of the Deportation Board mnoiiiieed'that it had heard sufficient evidence from the striking British seamen. Ife called on Mr. A. R. Watt, K.C., countel for Tom Walsh, to proceed with the next nart of his case.

Mr. Watt said it was strange that this decision should have synchronised with a certain article published in a Sydney newspaper. It seemed the strongest evidence to him that the board was acting nnder direct instruction. The chairman said Mr. Watt was acting in a very improper manner, and that the board would not be played with any longer. / Mr. Watt replied that he had information that there was a tendency to force tho board to a .decision which would precipitate a general strike for electioneering purposes. He described the action of (<-e board in l? hear further evidence as being worse than star chamber procedure.—(A. and N.Z. Cable.)