OFFICERS HOURS IN THE UNION COMPANY.

Evening Post, Volume LXI, Issue 87, 15 April 1901, Page 5

OFFICERS HOURS IN THE UNION COMPANY.

-, — -• .«»' TO THB EDITOK. Sir— The traveling and general public, although sympathetic with regard to thd long hours that the Union Company omcers work, ha-vo but a vague idea as 1. > what those hours, really are. A ve.-^i will often arrive ia port at 8 a.m., au<l work from then till midnight, at whicu latter hour she sails. Now in most ca« m the second officer will be on deck all lv« <■ 16 houi-s, an it is his "watch." VVn..» the vessel leaves he has another id- •• hours to stand on the bridge, m.iL ,; 20 hours in all. Twenty hours out . ■ twenty -four, and this is Our glorious ci a hours' work a day country, with » ' - mocratic Govennneiit. Ooiisideriu.^ I keeping watch is the mosi impyrniii j of the officer* business when he uus ...<.'> and property under. his care, some pro-vi-sion should at least be miidvi tUaL Lc L.is sufficient rost before taking cliai^ '11 .1 valuable vessel, pei'haps under vcatiiU" conditions necessitating a full' kee,im j M of all hia faculties. Tho RotorK\u.u.«i generally arrives in Lyttelton at 5 a in. or 7 a.m., and although the second oJiau- ' only comes off watcii at 4 a.m., yet be must be out again at 6 or / to help make the vessel fast. He must then be oc deck from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. seeing v cargo stowage, and at ID p.m. lie- is wanted again, when the ves&ei leaves, to heij take her away, and at midnight' his fourhour watch comes on again as .usua'i. Nqw, what rest has this man had all day to prepare him for the care of a large ship, and, maybe, hundreds of lives, for a certain number of hours in the middle of the night? He couldi have two 01 three hours' sleep" in the' early morning, but that would be practically ajl, for supposing that he has. finished his work and nis tea by 6 p.m., and he tflen. has another four hours to lumseH, although welcome, is not a Very restful four hours, for • it is always hard, to get to sleep in the early hours of the evening. Moreover, officers' rooms are generally placed in the hottest and uoisoest part of the ship, and it is often difficult to sleep in them., at I all, except in the cool ol the night, or when the noise of people walking and talking and the clatter of tin dishes or f crockery has entirely ceased 1 * for' the day. "This is a fact that speaks for 'itself, and as you are aware, sir, occurs three days in every week. And is it not too great a strain on any man? And yet the officers on the Rotoaialiaoa«ure not the hardest worked in the company. >üßut I Jake this example, because any one can find out the truth of it for tttetaselves. Passengers comfortably asieej) in their berths, trusting to a safe passage, little think that the officer of the\ watch has already been sixteen hours on deck; that he is thoroughly tired out and 1 sleepy, »nd is even now nodding and dozing on the bridge from sheer fatigpe. And'<yet he is deemed capable to be in charge. Most ol the captains never trouble about how long their officers have been on deck, , but hand over the ship to their care just 'the same. I Mr. Seddon is rather fond of travelling, and the next time he tafes a trip it mighty bo as well for him to ask the taptain, whose watch it is when the vessel leaves, how long tho officer has already been on deck,, and what rest he had the' night before.' Third officers are .01 « en on deck from 6 a.m. till midnight., and chief * officers for the same number. of hours. If a captain rutis his vessel ashore, or an officer is found intoxicated, tliey are dismissed from the company's service, as it te not fair to the travelling public to run. risks with sach men- And I say that neither is it fair to entrust the lives of jpeople to the care of a man ycho has al* 'ready been sixteen or eigh^on hours on deck out of twenty-four, and te then considered capable of looking after life and property for another four hours, and /when disaster happens, -he, rind not tho irioh employer, stands to lose his certificate and .means of support. An inspector sees that'thfe factory hand ' and shop hand does, not work more than eight hours a. day, but there is no law for the marine officer. He is paid no overtime, for any of bis long hours, and holidays are almost unknown. When his hours and wages are totalled up, htf actually earns less than the unskilled labour that is employed oa board. The Government might easily appoint ia commission or soms reliable man to enquire into** these things, when they pay 8200 a day ? for a F«cfor&l Commission. I, trust that this may direct attention to a much-aeeded reform, and perhaps enlistf sympathy for those engaged in a . highly dangerous and hazardous profession, and who so often without proper *esb have the responsible duty of taking care of property, cargo, and human life, 1 -- 1 am, etc., TRAVELLER. Wellington, 12th April, 1901,