SEAMEN’S REQUESTS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 300, 13 September 1921, Page 3

SEAMEN’S REQUESTS

THE ENDORSEMENT OF DISCHARGES. : Representatives of the Federated Seamen’s Upton interviewed the Minister of Marine (Sir Francis Bell) on Saturday to ask that ,in future seamen’s discharges , should not contain any reference to char- ' acter, and that the appointments of seamen's inspectors be cancelled. Mr. W. T. Young, secretary of the federation, said that, his organisation had been legally advised that there was no provision in law for a report on charac- - ter being incorporated in a certificate of discharge. The document ought to show rating, period of service, and time and place of discharge. A report as to character was, according to the Act, a separate document, but if a seaman chose he could ask to have his certificate endorsed as to character. The present discharges, said Mr. Young; were Used largely for the purposes of "victimisation.” The system permitted masters to decide whether. or not the licenses of aliens' to serve on ships should be renewed, sinoe the police were influenced by the report as 'to character. The seamen’s inspectors, Baid Mr. Young, were Government officials, appointed in 1913 under the Act of 1913. Their duties included the keeping of a register of persons desiring to be entered as seamen or apprentices, end supplying of seamen and apprentices ' required by ships.. The union did not consider that these inspectors were needed. Seamen ought to be engaged on board the ships. The Government could save .£lOOO by cancelling the appointments to the satisfaction of the ships’ officers and the seamen. The inspectors had become "runners” foi* the ehipping companies, and if they could not be abolished they should be confined to the keeping of a register, .seamen to be offered work according to their position on the list. Sir Francis Bell undertook to consider the requests made by the union.