THE UNION COMPANY AND ITS EMPLOYEES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14238, 29 December 1911, Page 9

THE UNION COMPANY AND ITS EMPLOYEES.

(special"to "THE rKESS.") DUNEDIN, December 28. Over twenty engineers aro out of work at present at Port Chalmers, pending tho settlement of a dispute as to rates of wages. Thoso man are casual employees of tho Union Company, v;ho employ -them when vessels aro under periodical overhaul or when repairs aro needed to the machinery on the steamozs trading to thia port.' Tho men, with tho exception of the permanent leading hands, constitute tho repair, staff of tho engineering department of tho Company's workshops, at Port,. Chalmers. Tho xaon want an increase. of. and that Tcquest tho Company decline so far to entertain, although, delegates Irom among tho men havo conferred with the head of tho department concerned.' The men state that the trouble is duo 'to bad treatment and, broken time in connection with their casual employment. •They want-a rise of Is per day all round, the minimum wage'to bo lis per day and an overtime rate of timo and .o half all round, excepting the present Sunday and holiday rato-. . When _ approached to-day the superintendent engineer of the Union Company said that he had nothing to say about tho "dispute with the men at present, out of employment. Tho men-were asked to start work at the Koonya on Saturday, in. the ordinary course of such work, but they declined to start unless certain concessions were granted.' No special, steps had been taken in-the'matter* The work was being carried out by the men. available. If there were a rumour about to - the leff oct .that the Company would not let outsido owners engago the men concerned in tho dispute for the overhauling of ,the Koonya'e machinery, such rumour was,not correct. Neither was it correct to nay that j owing to this disputo-tha steamers about to < undergo their periodical overhaul at Port ' Chalmers would be sent to Wellington. Such was not the intention at present.at any xate. NARROW ESCAPE OF A STEAMER. • (sr_cx\_ to "inn _ " DUNEDIN, December 28. Tho collier Koonya, which is at present . under overhaul in ,tho dock at Port Chalmors,. on her* last trip from Westport camo very, near to meeting, disaster. She left Westport, and was steaming quietly, down, the coaßt, as sho was making the southerly trip fo tho Bluff and Dunedin, when .hex propelling machinery broke j down. The sea was smooth, and the wind light at tho timo, but an hour, or so afterwards a southerly buster came up. . Tho steamer drove '' rapidly towards the xocks. Both anchors' wero let go, when tha vessel drifted into sufficiently shallow water for the, anchors to ' grip. ■ She was in an extremely dangerous ' predicament close to tho rocks, and a short I distance from Capo Foul wind Lighthouse." As tho big rollers ran shorewardß they broke | over the disabled .Vessel's bows. The im-I pact of the rollers against her bows strained j the anchor cables to breaking point, VAi \ length ono of the cables gavo way; then ono j anchor alono held the steamer. Jfeanwhife tho lighthouse peoplo had/sent news of the vessel's desperate plight to We_tport, and when disaster seemed to be imminent, the' "v7ostport tug hovo in sight. WA towHno was successfully passed, and tho crippled -vessel was towed to and anchored ofi Westport the sea being too rough.' for _er> to enter tho xiver. After 26 hours of arduous work in the engine-room, the engineers tad the machinery again in working- order, and tho Koonya proceeded on her voyage _f reduced speed, taking the precaution of gojng -via Cook Strait in case the temporarily repaired machinery again, broke down, but no further mishap occurred. * .. ,