SHIPOWNERS AND SAILORS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11243, 8 April 1902, Page 6

SHIPOWNERS AND SAILORS.

In the absence of Sir Alfred Jones, who has been hastily summoned to the West Indies,. Sir Hugh Gilzeon-Reid presided oyer the inaugural annual dinner of the sailors, firemen, cooks, and stewards of the port of London, which was held on the 7th ultimo. If the spirit of conciliation which breathed throughout the speeches of Mr Havelock Wilson and Mr Cftirns be of good augury, then (says tEe "Shipping World") assuredly the relations between our shipowners and seamen are in the fair way for betterment. It wae, as Air Havelock Wilson said in submitting the toast of "The Merchant Service," coupled with the name of Mr Cairns, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, something that =. shipowner should be willing-to tfavel from the North of Engjand on purpose to attend a dinner. It had not always been so, and the speaker was able to show that, although there had been mistakes made during the twenty-two years their union had been struggling to improve the condition of the' merchant seamen, their efforts had not been in vain. In 1886 the death roil :t sea amounted' to about 3000 British sailors; it now stood at less than half that number. No doubt the better types of vessels now in use, and the'exercise of greater care on behalf of the men, bad contributed. However that may be, it was~ saddening to know that while the loss of life at sea in British nhips was diminishing tho loss on board foreign .chips was seriously increasing. In reply to the toast Mr Cairns said thr.t he favoured the formation of a board.of-conciliation for the.settlement of disputes between shipowners and seamen and others employed on ships.