MANY CARGOES

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 284, 26 August 1922, Page 9

MANY CARGOES

SEAMEN’S HOURS AND WAGES * ARBITRATION CONTINUED Very little progress was made in the seamen’s dispute at ths sitting of the Arbitration Court yesterday. His Honour Air. Justice Frazer presided, with him on the bench being Alessrs. W. Scott (employers’ representative) and Al. J. Reardon (workers’ representatives). Mr. W. G. Smith appeared for tho Union Steam Ship Company, and Air. T. O. Bishop for the Shipowners’ Federation. Alessrs. S W. T. Young, T: F. Anderson, and W. R. Clarke represented the Seamen’s Federation. The first witness taken was' James Smith, superintending engineer for the Union Steam Ship Co., when Mr. Young completed his cross-examina-tion. Witness gave particulars of the Ataheno’s speed. The cross-examination of William Rogers was then resumed.

By Mr. Young: He did not think that 6s. or 6s. 6d. a day was too large an allowance for board to a man who had been engaged, but was waiting for the ship. When a main joined a ship at Wellington, and she was put out of commission be should be paid up to the hour of arrival; but it was wrong to pay him for the day of his arrival. The company should return him to Wellington unless he had committed a serious breach of discipline. In the case of giving twenty-four hours’ notice to quit, the practice of giving the notice by the engineer or master had been working for years, and had proved satisfactory. They did not insist lorn twenty-four hours’ notice from a man if they could get a substitute. _lt was reasonable that a man leaving a boat should be paid within four hours, if on small boats, but it might be awkward on a big ship. Where a man was travelling on free passage it was a fair thing to provide him with some cabin accommodation. There was no objection to employing unionists if they were good men. When fires were banked they did not work their men between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. His objection to extra pay for sailing on Sundays was that it meant sailing on Saturday night unnecessarily to avoid the payment. It would be better for the men if the sailing was made on Sunday. It was disadvantageous to trade generally to allow stop-work meetings. Re-examined by Mr. Bishop, witness presented a fuller statement of the wages earned by firemen on the Regulus', dividing the amounts bgtwejen ordinary overtime, payment for ashes, and holidays. Willem H. Bennett, manager of the Kapiti Coastal Co., and a director of the Taranaki Shipping Co., stated that there was a falling off in the trade’ of the Hawera and Kapuni this year of several thousand tons of cargo in six months. There was considerable competition by the railway and road with the coastal steamers. He agreed with the demands of the employers. He could not understand why thfl crew should get extra money for working on a ship when she was high’ and dry, or even for salving the cargo, except when the sea was breaking on the ship or at night. By Mr. Young: He was manager of thp waterside engagement bureau. H$ had proposals from the union maised to him in December last, and replied that the Shipowners’ Federation would consider them. The shipowners held a meeting in January last, and camo to the decision that they would not accept them. The reason the employers had come to the Court was that the agreements ’ made in 1914, 1917, and 1920 had not proved satisfactory. He understood that the employers had advised the waterside workers to register under the Arbitration Act. He did think that the falling off in trade was due to shipping competition. At 5.15 p.m. the Court adjourned until to-day.