VICTORIA HOLD-UP

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2554, 31 August 1915, Page 7

VICTORIA HOLD-UP

ATTEMPT AT CONCILIATION : POSITION UNCHANGED ; ANOTHER STATEMENT FROM THE UNION t Tho trouble; with l tiie crew of tho Victoria -was in the same position yesterday, as it was on Saturday. Up'to the present a, new crew is not forthcoming. It is stated, however, .that an offer has heen made to find a crew: for the vessel if sho is put ojv New Zealand articles and the New. Zealand agreement is observed. Mr. P. Hally, Conciliation Commissioner, interested himself in the dispute yesterday) and is' endeavouring to bring about a settlement. Discharge of tho Victoria's cargo was commenced at Jeivois Quay Wjarf yesterday morning, and .the northern portion of it wrill be transhipped. It is understood that tho Wellington .Waterside Workers' Union held a meeting 'on Sunday; to consider whether members of that body would handle the cargo. After a resolution had been carried -to the effect that they would not work the ship, it is stated' that a further meeting was held, at -which it was decided thai the cargo l ■ should bo handled at this port, ■ !' " Secretary of the seamen's Union's Statement. In renly to statements made By Mr. C. W. Jones, manager in New Zealand for Buddart, Parker, Ltd./which ap-. peared yesterday morning, concerning the trouble, on the Victoria, Mr. W. T. :Young, secretary of the Federated SeamenV Union in New Zealand, gave the following" statement to a Dominion reporter last evening. "In connection with' Mr. Jones's statement, that if the Victoria had been put on the New Zealand coastal articles she could not go to Sydney -without a further change, this is incorrect, for the reason that if the vessel took out a: foreign-going set of articles in Aew Zealand, the seamen could go to any part of the world. The ■ articles would -be for sis .months, and' tley .would be, good- till the expiration of that term'.for either the Australian-New Zealand trade, or the Australian and the ■ New Zealand coastal-trade. "As; to the further- statement that the Victoria has had to pay New Zealand rates of wages, I. wish to point out that this is not so. Prior to 1905 tho Hiiddart-Parker ships, then exclusively engaged in the: intercolonial trade, voluntarily applied the Now Zealand award of/the Arbitration Court as the_working conditions on their vessels. In January, 11)02, the; Australian union, in agreement with the steamship owners of the Commonwealth, increased the wages' of its members by 10s. per month over and above tho New Zea-landn-at-es. . In February of that year the Westralia entered into that agreement in Sydney, and the crew 6igned on for the rates under the new Aus■iralian agreement. Huddart-, Parker, Ltd., immediately complained to the union, and pointed: out that, as they had always observed the New Zealand conditions they requested to be allowed to continue. The union concurred, and gave instructions _ that the wages on board tho Westralia should bo reduced to JNew Zealand rates, and they were reduced accordingly. A further point m connection with this matter is that Australian law does. hot apply to a ship trading in the New Zealand coastal trad©; aiid. it cannot' be enforced witliin the territorial limits of tlie Dominion... .Further, the working "condi-? tions of the Federal award cannot bo applied beyond , the intern State trade of Australia. Representations were'- made to have the Westralia. py't on New Zealand articles, and it was. only after the crew of the ship had given notice to leave her at Auckland that Mr. Jones cabled his owners in Melbourne for instructions. Subsequently he advised me that there wbb no objection to the vessel bang placed on New Zealand. articles."