THE SEAMEN'S UNION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1286, 15 November 1911, Page 6

THE SEAMEN'S UNION.

CANCELLING REGISTRATION. News which has been serionslv amiss in facts has been reaching Wellington concerning tho doings of the Seamen's Union m Auckland and other ports. It has been stated, for instance, that tho Federated beainons Union is taking a ballot of members on the question of whether (hoy should cancel registration under tho Arbitration Act, and whether they Bhould J" 1 " Ihe Nw Zealand Federation of Labour. Tho fact is that ballots are being tnkou m Auckland, Wellington, and Duncdm to docido whether tho union shall caned registration under tho Act duo notice of which has been given. The result of that ballot is that a lar"o majority have declared for cancellation, but the returns in none of the places are complete. As to the figures for Ancle land, telegraphed, 1(10 to 1)8. the Auckland secretary of tho union stated, when ho was here to attend the recent conferenco with the owners, that the figures were utterly wrong. The majority in favonr ot cancellation had been very much greater, and many more votes had been actually recorded. Tho exact figures ho declined to give. Similar statements wero made by Mr. W T. Young, of Wellington, concerning tho ballot hero. Ino _ most serious mistake made, however, is in supposing that tho Seamen's Lnion proposes to affiliate with tho New Zealand federation of Labour. "\Vo havo no intention of doing anything of the sort,' said Mr Young to a Dominion reporter yesterday "Wo are taking no ballot about it. Wo think wo know more about pur own business than tho Now Zealand Federation of Labour can teach