SEAMEN’S TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 88, 10 January 1923, Page 6

SEAMEN’S TROUBLE

MEN TO MEET PRIME MINISTER TO-DAY

WANT SEAMEN ■" ACT REINSTATED

RECENT HAPPENINGS DISCUSSED

The executive of the Alliance of Labour and the Seamen’s Federation have arranged with the Primo Minister to meet him at 11 o’clock to-day in connection with tho request for the lemoval of tho suspension of tho Ship ping and Seamen Act of 1908 in reference .to the qualifications of seamen. Tho section authorising this suspension was introduced when the late Sir J. A. Millar, one of New Zealand’s labour leaders iu the great strike oi 1890, was Minister of Marine. It is as follows:—

“57. (1.) The Minister may, if he thinks fit, and upon such conditions (if any) as he thinks fit.to impose, exempt any ship from any specified roa quirement contained in or prescribed in pursuance of the principal Act or of this Act, or dispense with the observance of any such requirement in the case of any ship, if he Is satisfied that that requirement has been substantially complied with in the case of that ship, or that compliance with the requirement is unnecessary in the circumstances of the case, and that the action taken or provision made as respects the subiect-matter of the requirement in tlie case of the ship is as effective as, or more effective than, actual compliance with the requirement.”

There is no question but that the irian best able io certify to the necessity of such a provision was the sponsor of it, for, while he acted for the Labour Party in tho great strike to which he was really opposed, he was in tho position of realising what amount of suffering to the public was caused by the interruption of the means of communication by tea. A CANCELLED MARCH SEAMEN REFUSED PERMISSION TO PARADE. Mr. W. T. Young, secretary of the Seamen’s Federation, informed a reporter yesterday that one of the committee controlling affairs in connection with the seamen’s side of tho dispute applied to the city authorities for a permit to hold a procession of seamen on Monday last. “Tho procession was to be from the Masonic Hall as far as tho Government Buildings and back to tho Post Office Square,” explained Mr. Young. “and was to be conducted in a perfectly orderly manner. It was intended that one or two short speeches should be made in the square. While tho civic authorities were evidently disposed to permit the procession, they pointed out that the control of the traffic in the thoroughfares was in tho hands of-the police, and that when the Inspector of Police was approached by them for permission ho emphatically refused to grant it. Our members aro very wrath to think that the inspector was the means of preventing what would have been a very orderly procession, held mainly for the purpose of allowing the public to see the class of men who are involved in the seamen’s dispute. Had it not been for-some of our officials exercising better judgment over the membership they would have marched through the streets in defiance of the authorities. Personally, I think the inspector had no justification whatsoever for liis attitude in refusing to sanction tho procession, unless it bo that in some of the narrow streets of the city the traffic might have become congested, but we would have met that difficulty by marching from tho hall down Boulcott Street, through Manners Street, and down Cuba Street along Jervois Quay. 'That was pointed out to the inspector, but he still persisted that he would not permit of the procession under any circumstances.

“At our last meeting a resolution was passed strongly protesting against the action of the inspector, and directing that that protest bo made public. It seems to quite a number of us thlit the inspector was exercising his authority not so much in the interests of the traffic of the city, as in the interests of those who are ‘engaged m fighting us now—namely, the shipowners. ‘J’he shipping companies in New Zealand, bv the way. are part of the greatest shipping octopus the world has yet seen, and one of which the farmers and others in the Dominion will have practical before long, if they have not already had it. I mav sav that the seamen’s organisation and the Labour movement of the country supports strongly the ziim of the farmers to have a State-owned shipping line to transport their produce from this country to others, and we feel that the farmer, and other people, will not get out of the grip of the shipping combine until a State shipping line is brought into existence.” WHAT THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE HAS TO SAY

When the matter was referred to Inspector Mcllvenev yesterday, that officer, said the Police Department neither granted nor refused such rippbeations. “Granting or refusing such permits is not within our power,” he said. “It is a matter entirely in ihe hands of'the City Council. The council refers an application to this Department, and wo either recommend or disapprove.” The inspector added that street processions sometimes created trouble, and instanced the recent trouble in Australia.

THE .OTHER SIDE OF THE CASE

"AVhilo Mr. AV. T. Young, secretary of the Seamen’s Federation, maintained an inscrutable silence in regard to the doings of that body in the seamen’s trouble, he was looked upon ns a wise man,” commented one in a good position to sneak in regard to the statement made bv Mr. Young, "but now he has broken silence he proves what a weak case he has. Apparently, he desires to gain sympathy for tho seamen by alleging that the Inspector of Police emphatically refused to allow a procession of seamen to march through the city, and would not permit it under anv circumstances. Abandoning their policy of silence, tho seamen, in meeting assembled, ho savs, directed that their protest against the attitude of the inspector be made public. Mr. Young seems to think that the shipowners were interested in the matter, and that the inspector was acting in the interests of those who were fighting the seamen. That is all buncombe ; the shipowners are not fio-hting them nt all—the boot is on the other Teg. Thev are fully prepared to engage tho seamen on conditions every man will uphold, viz., that they will obev tho law of the land. Air. Young forgets that a member of his executive stated in ’Auckland that their <i icv was to get tho men to sign-on on November 20 work lor a week, t'ma give notice, and "o on with this game till the shipowners were tired out. \And that when they tried that dodge and offered on November 20 to sign on they omitted to take into consideration the fact that other people also possessed brams, and were not prepared to walk into the trap set for them. It is undoubtedly better

for Mr. Young to recognise that he is tho man in the trap, and that there is no way out consistent with, the weltare ol tho Diep who have blindly placed their trust in his executive.”

WERE THEY LOCKED OUT?

LATEST CONTENTION BY SEAMEN’S UNION. .

“The bona fide seamen have been locked out since November 20,” declared Mr. W. T. Young, secretary of the Seamen’s Federation, to a pressman yesterday, “but they aro quite happy and contented, and the shipowners know the terms upon which they will man the vessels.. When the shipowners concede the point involved the ships will bo manned. In the meantime I want the public to understand that the seamen are not out on strike, and that they are being locked out. Thev presented themselves for employment under the award on Novenber 20, and were turned down by the shipowners. Sine? 'hen the state of lock-out has existed between us. I want to make that point quite clear, because in a statement in the Presn on November 20 Mr. Bishop said: ‘Many union mon have offered themselves for engagement under the terms of tho award thia morning both in Wellington and at other ports, but the shipowners are not prepared to engage any union man until such time as the executive of the union, approaches the shipowners and offers some satisfactory guarantee that during the curerncy of the award there Mill be no further stoppage of work.’ “That statement bears out the fact that the men offered themselves for employment on that date under the terms 'of the award, but that the shipowners Aliened them down absolutely until sone *ynd of a guarantee was given that they would work under something that they were willing to work under.” WOLLONGBAR LEAVES SYDNEY Sydney, January 9. The North Coast Company’s steamer Wollongbar sailed to time, manned by volunteer labour. This is the first defeat suffered by the Seameal’s Union in connection with the attempted introduction of the roster system.—Press Assn.