VICTORIA HOLD-UP

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2552, 28 August 1915, Page 8

VICTORIA HOLD-UP

NO SETTLEMENT YET

STATEMENTS FOR BOTH SIDES

With -referonco to the troublo with | the firemen and sailors on board the i Huddar-Parker steamer Victoria, Mr. W. T. Young, general secretary of tlie ! Executive Council of the Federated Council of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand, gave a Dominion reporter the following statement from the nnion's point of view. "Regarding the Victoria, and what has appearpd in the daily Press concerning the matter of tho inconvenience caused to the owners of this ship, it may bo of interest to the public to know that Huddart Parker, Ltd., is a company registered and domiciled in the Commonwealth of Australia. ''During the past eight or nine months this "ship lias been exclusively operating tho coastal trade of New Zealand on Australian articles of agreement taken out in Sydney for a period of one year, and at the tinio these articles were entered into it was iveJl known to, and fully intended by, Huddart Parker that tho Victoria was to bo engaged exclusively in our coastal; trade. The intention of the twelve-months' articles was to cover the period of trade on our eoast and to. take the ship back to/Australia shortly before the twelye months would expire. At .the time these articles were entered into a foreign set of working conditions wore applied . as the working conditions of the. men engaged iii the* deck and engine-room and stokehold dc- . partments, and it the full intention of Huddart . Parker, to run the- Victoria on the New Zealand coast on. a set of working conditions foreign to: the Dominion and contrary-to the agreement they had signed with the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand* It is in-J correct to say' that'' this ship has ob'seryed the New Zealand agreement during her operations;on the New Zealand | coastj as for about six months of the eight or nine of ..her operations she observed no portion of our agreement, and during the remaining two or, three months, she. .has observed -only portion of the;-agreement, and by the..non-ob-servaiice of the. full terms- the members of.-the Federated Seamen's. Union em-, ployed on tho Victoria have lost pounds .and, pounds .in overtime. . ''During.-the.timo the ship lias traded on our coast .unsuccessful efforts have been made by, the Federated, Seamen's, Union to place, her on New; Zealand Articles, and tho crew under.tho working conditions of pur^agreement, 'and.during, the past four weeks several communications'have passed, between tho Executive Council of the Seamen's Uriiin and-Huddart-Parker in "regard to these, very points. •' The . trend and spirit of all the communications from tho owners of the vessel, however, have, been conspicuously against putting the ship ,on, New Zealand, articles, and carrying out the 'terms and conditions of our agreement. "The whole of -the profits', earned by tliis ship during the past eight-or nine months have been' exclusively gathered ,frdm the. New Zealand ■' coastal trado, but 'wlien it : :conies to spending a few pounds and employing a, little : labonr inoverhauling the. vessel,- shei is to bo sent to Australia for that purpose, hence the wish, of tho owners to get her to the after which she will, presumably, take out'now articles for an-/ othor 'year, 'applying foreign; working conditions to tho ;crew, and return to N?w Zealand to again operate - our coastal trade. V • ' > "During the sojourn of the Victoria on this coast a Jvery large numbk- of New; Zealand seanien- have signed : ar-' tides, in tho ship, and a- very large .percentage. of/ her. crew. at ; . present, are New Zealand seamen, and ir they were to go to .Australia'in the ship on her. pro'sent articles, arid; a dispute should, happen _to arise iit . the port of discharge it is; quite clear thkt .tho Australian authorities would rule that these of our seamen were not entitled to a passage back to New Zealand, and tho men would be left stranded in the Commonwealth.. "Respecting.'.the men- concerned; to their credit they have . acted strictly in accordanco with their legal rights under Section 73 of the Shipping Act of 1903, and - witli the agreement of the Federated Seamen's Union in respect .to the :matt'er of- discharges by'giving the re■quisite twenty-foiir : hours' notice to leavo the vessel at the. final port—Wellington;*'' , • . I ~ In conclusion, Mr; Young said that for the reason given abovo .the Federated Seaihen's: Union lias ' declined to take any part in the trouble- one. way or the other, beyond.protecting the legal rights of its members.

THE COMPANY'S VERSION.

When-the above .statement, was .submitted: to Captain;. Croft, .of, the Victoria; and Mr.-i.C. AV. Jones, manager' I for Huddart-I'arker, Ltd., in New Zealand, a' 'statement • was .- made to the -effect that Captain Croft had nou had any complaints 'regarding' the company j;not complying with the New . Zealand conditions of service. . Captain^. Croft, further stated ' that, ho had not been approached' regarding ' tho question of overtime, and had he. been consulted in the matter ho would ha,ve' been-; only: too pleased to rectify the men's grievances. ' : Mr. Jones said'that the first intimation .he liad had that the Federated Seamen's 'Union 1 wished the' vessel to ho placed-on New Zealand articles was on August- 7.',' He replied to the effect that-'.as- the vessel was going to Australia; ho' would let the matter stand over for a-time; . . . R-egarding the question: of the .profits earned by the ship during the past eight or nine months ou the New Zea--1 land,coast, Mr. Jones pointed \>ut that a large sum of money had been spent oir the vessel on the run the coast from Ditnedin to Aiicklayjti tveh trip. In air about. £90 per trip had been expended for ship repairs alone, and as the Victoria takes on an average twelve days to do the run it would readily he seen that several hundreds of pounds had hoen spent in New Zealand for repairs per year. . 1 \ *' In connection with' the matter of .a dispute arising between iho meii and the. .company in Australian waters, 1 the latter wore, quite willing to givo.a written guarantee that the men would be given full'wages and a free trip back to New Zealand. In fact their interests would be protected, and they would receive - tboir : wages up till the timo they' arrived back here.