CHANGE OF ATTITUDE

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 245, 16 October 1925, Page 7

CHANGE OF ATTITUDE

!i BY CREW OF : ATHENIC. OFFER TO RESUME DUTY. BUT AGAIN REFUSE AT LAST MOMENT.

More than once since the strike of the overseas seamen began the men have acted strangely, but it was left to the crew of the Athenic this morning to take up a surprising attitude, and one difficult to account for. The strike, according to cables received, has been declared off, but were that not so, there is an abundance of voluntary labour offering to man many more ships than those affected by the strike. This morning the members of the crew of the Athenic who had been on strike intimated that they were prepared to resume duty and take the vessel south, providing that seven of the crew, who apparently were ashore, were sent on to Wellington later to join the ship. The Shaw, Savill Company agreed to this, and everything was got ready for the ship to leave. But, at the very last moment, Vhen the crew were ordered below to carry out their duties, several of them refused to turn to. Their decision came as something of a surprise. The company immediately had the crew and their baggage taken ashore. The Athenic will now be manned by a complete volunteer stokehold crew, and she will sail this evening. That is the intention of the company.

So far there has teen no interruption with Work on the New Zealand Shipping Company's Otaki, or the Commonwealth! and Dominion liner Port Nichotson, which are discharging cargo at the wharves, and the crews have given no intimation; as to whether they intend to join the strikers, or not. f

The Waimana, which has a volunteer crew, Is expecte3 to sail for New York, Boston and London to-morrow or early next week. The Tainui is in the stream waiting to berth in order to load cargo for England.

The men who refused duty this morning were fcroughf before the Court this afternoon. .; . ; . i&

CALLED OFF AT DUNEDIN. RARANGA MEN TO GO BACK. UNCONDITIONAL RETURN. * (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Thursday. There is every indication that the crew of the Sliaw, Savill and Albion steamer Raranga will not undergo the six weeks' imprisonment sentence imposed on them on Wednesday. Advice was received to-day to the "effect that the strike had been called off and that the Raranga's men were to return to the ship and take her to sea.

Immediately this advice came to hand the local secretary of the Seamen's Union visited the police station and requested that the 58 men then enjoying, themselves in bright sunshine in the gaol yard be held in Dunedin for another twenty-four hours. Although no definite reason was, given, the police officials recognised that such a request would not be made without due reason, and agreed to that course. Later in the day the Seamen's Union secretary, accompanied by two well-known Labour supporters, again visited the police station. The Raranga's men were interviewed and after the position had been explained they intimated that they were willing to go back to the their ship and resume their full duties.

This information was supplied by an official of th£ Seamen's Union tff-night. It was stated to-night that the men had intimated their -willingness to return to the ship unconditionally. In view of this, the police official's communicated with the Commissioner of Police. Wellington, asking that the Minister of Justice be approached with a view to remitting the remainder of the sentence. This is the usual procedure in such cases, and if the Minister does remit the sentence the men will be required to give their bond, and if they accede they will be released and placed on board their ship.

Application will be made to the magistrate to-morrow morning to have the members of the Raranga's crew released from custody and placed on board the ship, on the understanding that they have undertaken to resume duty. It was the intention'of the police officials to send the Raranga's crew north to Paparua Prison. The men's luggage was to-day conveyed by motor-lorry to the railway station, but it was returned to gaol after the request to detain the men had been made. Having completed discharging- the Dunedin portion of her London the Jjew Zealand Shipping Company's oil-burning steamer Tongariro sailed "at 1 p.m. to-day for Nelson to complete discharge. The vessel is still carrying the crew who signed articles in London early in August. Xo trouble was experienced with the Tongariro'a crew at Lyttelton or Dunedin.

SEAMEN IN BRITAIN- _,„., -' *-*- • %■•—'- ;^S THE STRIKE POSITION. "«MJ HAVELOCK WILSON EXPLAINS,, | A plain statement of the facts of the situation was given to the London "Journal of Commerce" on August 20 c 1925, by Mr. J. Havelock Wilson, president of the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union, who said: —

"Aβ regards seamen's \vages. in May of last year we had a conversation with owners at the Maritime Board. Indications were then forthcoming that the shipping trade was improving, and if it continued to improve we should be justified in asking owners for an advance in wages.

"Many of the owJiers protested at the time that it was not opportune to grant an advance. But, as a compromise, it •vras agreed to advance the wages by 10/, and three months later by a further 10/ per month for seamen. This was accepted without any fuss or bother, but distinctly on the understanding that if the trade should go back we, on our part, would again give further oon- t sideration to the wages question.

"After October of last year, the prospects for a month or six weeks looked fairly good, but towards the end of tho year the labour position became somewhat aciltc, and there was a good deal of unrest as a result of this. Instead of trade improving, it began rapidly to decline. Unemployment increased, the mining industry became bad, and the railway situation grew worse. This, of course, had a big effect on shipping. It was difficult to obtain coal cargoes ftn outward at remunerative freights. Later on it became as difficult to get homeward cargoes at remunerative freiglitf.

"Xdw, t-iis being the situation, aKd keeping in mind the promise of th<3 owners, a meeting of the Maritime Board was held in July, and the owners, of course, claim that, as the improvement in trade had not come about as they anticipated, we would honour our promise of last year. This we did. Now, before any action was taken in the matter, a conference was held of delegates representing a.ll the ports of the United Kingdom. There were some 2.50 delegates present. They considered the matter very carefully. Xo one could dispute the fact that the shipping trade was in a very bad state, because there is no trade subject to more foreign competition than shipping. The seamen feel this more than anyone else, because, if foreign ships can be operated, say. on an average of 25 per cent less in costs than British ships, that ni»ans that British ships must lay up. 'J his is just what happened, and*while the British ships were being tied up. foreign ships were earning into our ports and taking the cargoes Unit .without any question would otherwise have been carried by liritish ship>.

dinit?\ to - ni ? ht that nothing defin.te has yet been done in regard to.securing a crew for the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Hororata now at Port Chalmers. The vessel is expected to be dear of her London cargo this week and it is anticipated that -N will be ready for sea early next week. SEAMEN'S UNIOI\T~ADV!CE. BACK TO WORK. (Ey Telegraph.— l'ress As*nrl.itlon.i DUX EDI X\ tliis day. The Raranjra men were released at 11.30 this morning, and returned to work on the advice of the union .secretary, the local branch of the Seamen.* Union, and other union secretaries. LEITRIM'S VOLUNTEER CREW. (By Telejrrnpb.—Press A?soci.it!on.i CHRJSTCIfURCH, Thursday. The Leitrim completed discharge of the local portion of her enrpo to-day anil moved out into the stream. A number of volunteer seamen unci firemen ivere taken on hoard. The lialanee of her complement will join tomorrow and she will depart for Dunedin. A CROWDED PRISON. ;Cy Telesraph,—Prwn Assooi.ition ■> CHRISTCHUROH, Thursday. The Paparua prison is nowadays a populous place. The numbers re swelled to-day and yesterday by 11 strikers from the Leitrim, who were sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment yesterday. Of the 11 six were taken to gaol yesterday afternoon, but the other five had to stay in Lyttelton as there was not sufficient room for them at Paparua. ~ rf t > & ,?.ifr,fc jt

"This made little or no difference to the men on dock work. 1 .-cause if British ships were not carrying tli.■ cargoes the fnrei"ii ships wore, and no one who had any knowledge of the matter, and will take the trouble to go of the loading ports, "ill find that, for one liritish ship c>l laining cargoes, there are two foreign ships doing the same Thus there is employment for searren. The compromise with the shipowner was to take ofl' the £1 that had been granted last year. This was agreed to. Following upon this, tile report of the whole matter war placed bi-fore the executive cuiiui'il (■! the union, an elected body.

")• iillow inu upon the council meeting cam" tic annua! eeiieral meeting, a much larger b< dy with a much larger representation of ordinary lay members. The report of tin , coiiforpiu'i , , the report of tlie negotiations, and the report of the executive council Mere submitted to the meeting, hiul it was unanimously declared that the lx?st interests of the si-auiL'ii had been served by what was dune.

"And yet wo have the Communist and oth'-r '..i:.-yln>dies. who have no connection with iK in any shape or form, telling ilic seamen that they were not consulted about the reduction of wages. This is an absolute falsehoo I. "'Now. since the revised rate was agreed to, over 40.000 men have been reengaged, and their agreements terminated. If 40.000 seamen accepted the bargain made, what right have we to make any trouble? I emphatically d- pclarc. in spite of the efforts oi tha 'Hers' and others in sympathy with them, that there is no strike of seamen, nor is there likely to Le one."