MANNING DISPUTE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20088, 18 November 1930, Page 16

MANNING DISPUTE.

NAVAL RATINGS REPLACE CREW OF NUCULA. ITHB PRESS Special Serrice.] AUCKLAND, November 17. The crew of the Admiralty tanker iXucula walked ashore this morning as a further protest against the reduced manning scale. They were then told to tsiko their belongings off the ship and a naval crew was put aboard to tako the vessel to sea. According to,the men they left the ship became at the last minute the naval authorities wanted to make a further change in the manning scale by reducing one of the greasers to an oil burner. It had been agreed 011 Friday that the vessel should carry five greasers and three oil burners. "When the matter was referred to Commander Kelson Clover, naval officer in charge at the Devonport Base, ho paid that he understood the men had not wanted to go ashore but that; they had been ordered to do bo by tlie Seamen's Union. He did not know the minor details of tho dispute. "We cannot allow a naval vessel to be held up ny an industrial union," he said. "The Kneula lias been overmanned for years and as part of the policy of Departmental economy tho number of the crew was reduced. The overstaffing of the vessel has been winked at for years, and the men are feeling sore because it has come to an end. Twelve able seamen and eight stokers from H.M.S. Philomel had replaced the merchant sailors. This was the same number of men as would have been carried under the reduced sale." After adjusting compasses to-day tho Nucula will proceed to Nukuhiva in the Marquesas Islands to refuel H.M.S. Diomedo, which will call there on her way out from England, where sho recently completed her refit. ' From Nukuhiva the tanker will go to Los Angeles to load fuel oil for the base at Devonport. When a . deputation from the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand waited npon the Minister for Defence, tho Hon. J. G. Cobbe, in reference to the manning of the Nucula on pctober rfOth last, they asked that in view of the amonnt of unemployment' existing among seamen, the tanker's personnel be not reduced. In. reply the Minister informed the deputation that a reduction in the manning was being made in the interest of economy, he having been informed by the Naval Department that the number of seamen in the Nucula was superfluous.

In a second interview -with the seamen's representatives last Tuesday, the Minister said it had been finally decided to reduce the manning of the tanker by three able seamen, two greasers, two oil burners, and one steward. "When the time came to secure a crew for the tanker on 3Triday morning, the selected men refused to' sign on under the reduced manning scale, but late on Friday afternoon they consented to join. 3Shc Nucula sailed this evening, 310 further developments having occurred.