ARBITRATION COURT. SEAMEN'S DISPUTE. NEW ZEALAND UNION.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 136, 6 December 1905, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT. SEAMEN'S DISPUTE. NEW ZEALAND UNION.

The Arbitration Court— Mr. Justice Chapman, Messrs. S. Brown and R. Slater — sat at Wellington on Monday, and continued the hearing of the dispute between the Wellington branch of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand and the Union Steamship Company, Patea Shipping Company, New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Levin and Co., Wellington and Wanganui Steam Packet Co., and others. Mr. W. Jones represented the Union, Mr. J. F. Kirby the Union Company, Mr. J. Hanlon the Wellington, Havelock, and Motueka Steam Ship Company ; Mr. A. H. Turnbull, W. and G. Turnbull and Co. ; Mr. J. H. Cock, Anchor line ; Mr. C. Seagar, Wellington and, Wanganui Steamship Company ; 'and Mr. W. E. Fuller, Levin and Co. Mr. Kirby, in reviewing the demands of the Union, stated that if they were conceded the total increase of payment to be made by the Union Co. would be £15,164 10s per annum, including monthly wages in deck department £2262, and overtime £3355 ; engine department monthly wages £2850, overtime £1020 10s. Mr. Jones addressed the Court and argued that the small owners, in requesting that the Court should discriminate between the large and small owners, was asking for something which the Court had not previously granted. The small owners had not submitted any counter proposals. He emphasised the demand for preference to unionists. The Court made no intimation as to when its award would be announced. AUSTRALASIAN UNION. The Court also considered the dispute between the Wellington section of the Australasian Federated Seamen's Industrial Union and their employers. The following firms were cited : — Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, Limited ; Wellington and Wanganui Steam Packet Company, Limited ; Levin and Co., Limited; the Blackball Coal Company, Limited; the Westport Coal Company, Limited; the Patea Shipping Company, Limited, of Wellington; the Wellington, Havelock, and Motueka Steamship Company, Limited ; the Aorere Steamship Company, Limited, of Wellington, and others. Mr. William T. Young appeared for the Union. Mr. J. F. Kirby represented the Union S.S. Co., Mr. A. H. Turnbull appeared for W and G. Turnbull, Mr. W. E. Fuller for Levin and Co., and Mr. J. Hanlon for Wellington, Wanganui, and Motueka S.S. Co. The Union's demands included a claim for 10s per month increase for all classes and an increase of 3d per hour in all overtime rates, except to men carrying or stowing grain in bags in cargo steamers only, for which 6d per hour increase was claimed. Boys not to work overtime at all, and quartermasters' overtime to be computed on the basis of the average overtime earned by men driving winches and hydraulics in their respective vessels. There were 26 clauses in the claim similar to the 1902 award, 5 clauses containing technical alterations, 10 clauses containing material alterations, and 7 new clauses, The new clauses included the following claim : — For shifting ship at coal loading ports the crew Bhall be paid as follows : If the vessel is shifted once between the hours of 5 p.m. and midnight the crew shall be paid not less than Is per man ; if two or more shifts are required between the same hours, the minimum payment shall be 4s per man ; if the vessel is shifted more than four times between tlie hours of 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. the minimum payment shall be 8s per man. That the crew quarters shall be thoroughly cleaned and painted at least once in every twelve months while the vessel is in port. In the engagement of labour shipowners shall give preference of employment to members of a seamen's union. When vessels are compelled to anchor from any cause exj cept that of disablement, the deck hands shall keep ordinary 6ea watches between the hours of 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. In the event of an anchor watch being required after 5 p.m., it shall be kept in rotation by the men who would havo been at tho wheel if tho vessel was under, way. Thu Union Company's counter-proposals claimed the rates of pay ' under the current award should be retained with the exception of lamptrimmers^and A.B.s, the former to be paid £7 10s per month and A'.B.'s £6 10a per month. Overtime rates to remain the same as at present, with the exception of ordinary seamen, same to be paid 3d per hour less than present schedule rates. Boatswains, lamptrimmers, and A.B.s, quartermasters and quarterdeck men to be paid the average overtime earned by A.B.s other than that for koeping watch at night or on Sundays or holidays, or if employed in their watch below. Boys not to be worked overt 'me except in pases of emergency, when they shall ba paid at thorato of 6d per hojur. The Court sat yesterday until 9 p.m. The whole of the clay was occupied by Mr. Young in stnting the Union's case.