PHOSPHATE SHIPS HELD UP

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24986, 21 September 1946, Page 2

PHOSPHATE SHIPS HELD UP

MEN DEMAND N.Z. CHARTER

DISCUSSION WITH MARINE SECRETARY

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, September 20. • Demands that they should remain on New Zealand articles while under charter to the British Phosphate Commission on the New Zealand-Makatea phosphate run were made by the crew of the British steamer Samstrae at Auckland this afternoon. The crew of the Samstrae and representatives of the British steamer Samnethy, which reverted from New Zealand to English articles on Thursday, met the Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine at Auckland (Captain A. Davies), the master of the Samstrae (Captain Goudie), and a representative of the British Phosphate Commission in the Samstrae’s wheelhouse. After an hour’s discussion, the spokesman from the Samstrae’s crew was given authority to speak by telephone to the Secretary of Marine (Mr W. C. Smith) in Wellington. The conversation will take place in the morning. The Samnethy’s crew walked off the ship on Thursday, but returned this afternoon when an improvement in conditions was promised. She was to have sailed for Makatea, via Lyttelton, under a British Phosphate Commission charter at 5 p.m.; but when it was learned that the Samstrae’s crew proposed to take a stand on an issue which also concerned them, the Samnethy’s complement decided not to take the ship to sea. The Samstrae has been on the Dominion coast under Government charter for more than four monttfc and her crew have been serving on New Zealand articles. It is expected she will complete discharge of her last coastal cargo to-morrow and she will then be ready to sail immediately for Makatea under her new charter. HOLMLEA’S CREW (P.A.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Sept. 20. Three replacements for the crew of the steamer Holmlea, which had been held up three days atd a half at New Plymouth, as a result of three seamen refusing to sail with her on Monday, arrived last night. They went aboard about 9 p.m. and the ship sailed for Greymouth at 9.45 p.m.