FERRY HELD UP AT WELLINGTON

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28372, 3 September 1957, Page 12

FERRY HELD UP AT WELLINGTON

Crew’s Dispute Delays 600 Passengers (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) , - WELLINGTON, September 2. The inter-island steamer Maori is held in Wellington tonight by\a dispute over the employment of an engineer. The crew, after a meeting with Seamen’s Union officials, refused to take the ship to sea. ' Six hundred south-bound passengers are stranded in Wellington. Emergency Cabinet meetings will be called if the situation worsens. A threat to tie up the whole of the Union Steam Ship Company’s fleet was made to the Minister of Labour (Mr J. K. McAlpine) by the president of the Seamen’s Union (Mr F. P. Walsh) in talks this afternoon. Asked tonight whether it was correct, that Mr Walsh had told him that if the Maori dispute was not settled tonight he would tie up the Union Company .fleet tomorrow, Mr McAlpine said: “That’s right.” The Minister had no more comment to make, and said he would have a look at the whole situation in the morning.

If Mr Walsh continues with this threatened line of action it is expected that the Government will take immediate action to settle the dispute. A spokesman for the company said the number of ships likely to be affected by a tie-up would be about 50. Some, however, were in Australian and Canadian waters. Asked to comment on the possibility of the whole of the company’s fleet being immobilised tomorrow morning, the general manager (Mr H. H. Dobie) said: “It’s the first I have heard of it, so obviously I cannot comment.” According to Seamen’s Union officials, the dispute arose over the ship’s third engineer, who on Friday was acquitted in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, on a charge of assault against one member of the crew. The Union Steam Ship Company refused to comply with a demand made by Mr Walsh concerning the engineer’s continued employment. Last-minute discussions in the. captain’s cabin tonight failed to break the deadlock, and an announcement was made 15 minutes after the ship’s scheduled sailing time that the vessel would not sail. May Sail in Hinemoa Most of the passengers decided to stay aboard overnight. Passengers leaving were told to report back to the ferry tomorrow .morning. Union Company officials said later that the passengers would sail in the Hinemoa tomorrow night if the dispute was not ended tomorrow. In a statement made at the wharf, Mr Walsh said the seamen refused to sail because they considered the Court’s acquittal of the engineer on Friday unfair. He said they wanted a rehearing of the case. A statement on behalf of the Union Company said the Seamen’s Union was quarrelling witn the Court decision. It was impossible for the company to do anything about that, and the company was under an obligation to reinstate the third engineer. The company considered it outrageous that the travelling public should‘be so inconvenienced because the union was dissatisfied with a Magistrate s decision. The company thought the union should have settled the dispute by arbitration. The company was ready to deal with n this way.

engineer, and the union advised the Minister of Labour.” Rehearing Sought He added: “We feel that the decision of the Magistrate was not in accord with the weight of evidence, and have asked the Government to direct the police to order a rehearing of the case. The Government says that if we are able to produce new evidence it will be prepared to do so and the police will have the authority to order a rehearing.” Mr Walsh said that the company knew of the union’s ,decision early today and could have notified passengers much earliei that the ship would not sail. “We consider the company’s failure to do so unfair to the travelling public,” Mr Walsh said. Special N.A.C. Flight To Christchurch A special National Airways Corporation flight will reach Harewood at 9.30 a.m. today with passengers who intended to travel aboard the Maori last night.

In a later statement tonight, Mr Walsh said: “Early today the crew notified the union that they wouldn’t sail with the third