SHIPS' OFFICERS. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 138, 8 December 1905, Page 6

SHIPS' OFFICERS. TO THE EDITOR.

[ Sir — In reading notes and comments on the general election in to-night's Evening Post, I notice that "Labour" challenges Mr. M'Laren's right to call himself, the workers' friend. He makes the statement that ships' officers in the intercolonial' service are paid — first mates £16, second mates £12, third mates £10 per month, which he thinks is more than lid per hour. I would like to know, Sir, what number of hours per day he bases his assumption on. Is it the ordinary working day of eight hours, as worked by all other classes of the community? or does he — I hardly think so — work on the average number of hours put in by officers, something like 16 or 17 per day, when in port, and in some cases in excess of that? Considering the arduous dutjes performed and the responsible positions held by the officers, I think that in comparison with other persons holding responsible positions on shore, they are considerably underpaid. Itf mentioning the eight hours day as worked by the general run of men, it is, of course, understood tnat for any work done in excess of that, he is paid at increased rates ; not so the ships' officers ; they receive no extra remuneration. I think, Mr. Editor, if officers' average hours on duty when in port were taken in comparison with the wages they' receive, it would work out more like 5d to 7d per hour than lid, as "Labour" appears to think. — I am, etc., LONGSHOREMAN. Wellington, 4th December, 1905.

Fine weather returned to the city again to-day, although, as in nearly all parts of the colony, the sky was overcast early in the morning. The shade temperatures in the four centres at 9 o'clock were : — At Auckland 68 degrees, Wellington 59 degrees, Christchurch 61 degrees, Dunedin 60 degrees. A rise in the barometer everywhere is forecasted by Captain Edwin.' This afternoon in the Sydney-street Schoolroom a sale of work, etc., is being held in aid of St. Paul's Pariah Sunday Schools, and the Chinese Mission of Wellington. The articles offered for sale at the various stalls range from artistic needlework to the products of the kitchen garden, and their excellence promoted ke6n competition amongst purchasers. Refreshments, oll<;ourse, were daintily served out and enjoyment was added to the proceedings by selections of music. The following are the stalls and the ladies in charge of tthe:—Refreshmentm :— Refreshment stall, Mrs. Edwin; produce stall, Mrs Wong and Miss Greenwood ; work stall, Misses Pur. ser, Barraud, and Rolands; flower stall, ,Miss Quick; Christmas tree, Miss ' Powles ; jumble stall, Mrs. Warren ; cake and sweet stall, Mesdames Larnach and McPherson. This evening the sale of work is to be re-opened, and a feature of the attractions will be an entertainment of comic song.i and recitations arranged by Miss Warren. ' Complaint is frequently made of the delay which occurs in connection with the hearing of disputes in the Arbitration Court, but a point which is apparently overlooked is that a deal of time is taken up unnecessarily by parlies, when appearing before the Court, in prolonging opening statements or addressing the Court after calling evidence. In the dispute between the Wellington section of the Australasian Seamen's Union and the steamship owners of the colony which commenced at 2.30 p.m. on Monday, an extraordinary amount of time was taken up by Mr. Young, the Union's representative, in staling his cn«e. He commenced at 2.30 p.m., and had not concluded when the Court adjourned at 4.45 p.m. He resumed his statement on Tuesday at 10.30 a.m., and did not conclude until after 9 p.m. Much of the time was occupied in explaining the Unions demands, which were clearly set forth in the statement filed, and in quoting figures and atatistics which were admitted, and of which the Court" itself had knowledge. Mr. Justicp Chapman paid a tribute to Mr. Young for the complete manner in which he had prepared the statistics, bnt, as they were muinly taken from the reports of the Wellington iHurbour Board and the bal-ance-sheets of the Union Steamship Co., and consequently were "matters of fact," it would have saved considerable time had these been merely mentioned, and then submitted to the Court for peruaal when preparing the award. The Union called a number of witnesses, when much" of the ground taken by Mr. Young in his opening statement was covered, and at the conclusion of the evidence yesterday Mr. Young addressed the Court from 3.30 p.m. until 4.45 p.m., and continued to-day from 12 (noon) until 1 p.m. The steamship owners, on the other hand, only called one witness in support of ' their counter-proposals, who occupied the Court for about twenty minute*,