COMMONWEALTH LINERS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 10, 12 July 1922, Page 9

COMMONWEALTH LINERS

Once again the fate of the.'line'of steamers owned by the Commonwealth Government is in the balance, and "the cause is the same as previously—the .lesire on i the 'part of the Seamen's Union to take control of the line out of tho hands of the management. The position at the moment is that, because, the. Union cannot . "force " the management to include in the crew of the Largjs Bay, which is now at Sydney, erne particular man whom they.', want, "as bo'sun,..the whole of the- vessels of the line are likely to be tied up indefinitely, involving-the. dismissal of many hundreds of officers and engineers, and many thousands of seamen and stewards, and a consequent loss to the ..people of Australia of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Incidentally, the members of the union aro ' losing £2200 pei' month through the holding up of the Largs Bay alone.

Apparently undeterred by its experiences in connection ..with the Hobson's Bay and. the Moreton, the union, upon the arrival in Sydney of the.Largs Bay, sought to establish the right to say what; men-should be signed on, and what ir.en should be put aside as distasteful to .the secretary and .the com .littec. This attitude was; met. with an emphatic declaration of .policy* by the' Prime Minister, who stated that unless the management had freedom of choice among the unionists to employ whom ib chose, the Largs Bay and other Commonwealth ships would be paid olf si-dl. laid up. Following Jthis announcement, the union was given a certain time iii which to supply a crew for the Lar<j.. Bay. This they refused to do, and th. position iiow is that -the Government i» expected to put its threat into effect-.'

It is pointed out that the union is playing right into; the hands of tho line's shipping competitors, .who desir. nothing more than the failure of tho Commonwealth Line. If successful they will be able to acquire the liners and transfer tb em to the British register, thereby escaping the obligations of the Australian Navigation Act, including th . right to employ coloured crews;