COMING ASHORE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1246, 30 September 1911, Page 7

COMING ASHORE.

—♦ —' COASTAL SHIPPING TROUBLE, i OFFICERS REJECT AWARB. WILL GIVE 24 HOURS' NOTICE ' Tho ships' officers affected by the recent award of tho Arbitration Court are so much dissatisfied with it that they havo decided, it is said, not to work under it. The award comcs into operation oil Monday next, but befoiro that time, or vory shortly thereafter, the officers will lwvo como ashore. Tho dispute, as it was taken to the Court, affected mates of small vessels, nearly all of them of less than 500 lons register, trading from Wellington to coastal ports. Tho officers, through tho Merchant Service Guild, of which they are members, asked for higher wages, payment for overtime, release trom duty from one lioui after arrival in tlieir homo ports until two hours beforu departure, and increased annual leave. They wero granted no increase of pay; no mention was mado of overtime in the award; and tho request for relief from duty in tho homo port was hot granted. Tho : only concession of any moment that was granted to the men was an increase of annual leavo from tea days to fourtecu days. Time Was Limited. Tho officers say, therefore, that they gained practically nothing by their ap- , peal to the Court, and tlicy havo been very far from satisfied ever since. During the recent storm, when man); of tho smaller craft wero storm-stayed in "Wellington, several times tho advisability of walking off their ships was • discussed. The officers, however, dccidod to try all other means before resorting to a strike, and the secretary of tlio guild, Captain D. Watson, was instructed to writo to the Minister for Justice drawing his attention to tho Court's finding. The Minister replied that the matter was'not one with which he could deal, and referred Captain Watson to the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Labour and also Minister for Marine. Tho guild has sinco been in communication with Mr. Millar, but, of course, ihe Minister could take no action to aid them in setting aside the award of the Court the only thin? that could havo satisfied tho disaffected men. They slqtc that timo was limited, and they had to decide at once. If they delayed until Monday any concerted action would be calleu a 6trike by the Court, and they would bo severally liable to a fine of ,£lO.

Twenty-four Hours' Notice. A meeting was held on Thursday at' which some 30 members wero present, and it was then agreed that unless something happened in tlio meantime they would put in their 21 hours' notice ami quit. Some of them aro now on tho sea, but every officer who would otherwise have been required to work under the award on Monday who docs not already know the position will receive advice to-day. So that ovcry officer may give notice to-day, which notice will expire before Monday morning. They must do so to-day, if at all, for their articles do not permit of uotico being given on Sunday. What It Means. The ships on which the men are employed are all small vessels. As a matter of fact, tho award applies to vessels of 10IM tons and less, but only one oi two of the steamers in of more than 800 tons. They trade from Wellington to Waitara, New Plymouth, Patca, Wanganui, Fo.tton, Gisbome, ■ Napier, Castlepoint, Nelson, Havolock, l'icton, : Ivaikoura, Lyttelton, : and Dunedin. The : number of ships affected is. about 35, and tho officers on them who aro expected to cease work number about SO. If the men cease work tho owners may i. havo soiuo difficulty in filling tho I vacancies, for the guild' has atiiong its' members most of the' officers in tho coaslal trade of the Dominion. It ia not a trades union, and they are no' compelled to admit members. The Guild's View. "Strike? Nothing of the kind," said Captain Watson, discussing tho situation with a Dominion reporter yesterday.

"Tho men are simply exercising their right to cease working under conditions with which they are not satisfied, and Hi«y are doing it in a legal way, after giving tho notice which is required of them in their articles.'"

Captain Watson went on to discuss tho award, and tho comments of Mr. W. J. I'ryor, _ eccrotary of tho Shipowners' Federation, on tlio men's demands. Naturally, ho said, tlio owners wcro satisfied witii tlio award, because under it tht.v bad lost nothing. "Ho stales," said Captain Watson, "that the rato asked by tho guild is higher tlian that paid in. any other servicc. But we contend that the work is harder and tlio hours longor than in any other service. Ho says that Mr. Justice Iliggins's Commonwealth Award was received with expressions ot delight by tho Merchant Service Guild. We admit that this is so, but that is because it was the first time that justice had ever been received by tho officers. Ho diii' not stato that tho Commonwealth Award provided for half-a-crowu an huur overtime for officers, or that an officer wim entitled to bo absent from his ship from one hour aflor arrival in liis homo port until two hours before departure."

Generally, ho contended that Mr. Pryor had not fairly stated his case. Personally lie could not see any earthly 'reason why officers should not bo paid overtime as tho sailors were, especially as it was recognised all through the community that J eight hours was a day's work. As for suggestions as to improvement' of conditions, those ought (o come from tho employers. Tlio officers were only qoucerned ill insisting upon being adequately paid for work (lone. Ho compared tlio 'wages paid to officers with those paid to Harbour Hoard officials and workmen, show- . in.g that the wages of tho seafarer were much lower, faking account of the work lie did, than thoso of tho landsman. Tho Owners' Case. Tho case for the owners, as stated at fho Court, was simply thai in tho trade in which these vessels wcro engaged tho profits were so small or so prcenrious that higher wages could not be paid. If tho officers' demands were granted, tho steamers must go out of their trade, and this because present freights would not pay added expenses, and increased fivights were impossible owing to competition by larger steamers and by the railways. Tha owners also contended that the men's demands for overtime wcro impraclicablo and unreasonable, and that the men were, in fact, well paid, and were in tho main well enough satisfied with their lot.