"FANATICAL UNIONISM"

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 8

"FANATICAL UNIONISM"

ONE MONTH'S IMPRISONMENT.

(BI IEIEOBAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.!

AUCKLAND, This. Day, Ihirty-one members of- the stokehold crew of the Marama wer c each sentenced at the Police Court to one month's imprisonment for combining on the high seas to disobey a lawful command of the master. When the Marama was about to leave the wharf about 11 o'clock yesterday a representative of -the union named Flynn discovered that one man engaged had no certificate of discharge as a fireman. On behalf of the men he mounted the, bridge and complained to the captain. . In his evidence Captain Clift said the vessel was then in motion. The lines had been cast off. He .ordered the man down *lynn came up again later when the ship was near the channel buoys, and the captain said he would deal with the matter when further out. When three miles out. the ship . almost slopped for want of steam and the stokehold crew were mustered. -Each man individually refused, duty: The Marama then, put oacfc the junior engineers stoking. The refusal being persisted in, all the men were arrested by the waterside police. Henry Flynn, the delegate, said he mounted the bridge when the gangway was still out, at 10.45 a.m. The vessel was not; under way. When the captain heard his complaint he said: "I've got nothing .whatever to do-with unionism. If you don t get off the bridge I'll gaol v°u-, replied: ' 'Go your . hardest then:"--- .

,', ¥ r;',]^ ollnd Pn»'i'aised- the defence that the ship was not on the high seas. Tho men decided not' to work -when the vessel was at the" wharf. : -Mr. Bagnall, for the prosecution, subnutted that there had been a combination, agreed, upon when at the wharf, but persisted in on the high seas, -Ihe Magistrate, Mr. Poynton, said rt was: a serious, matter that men, for a trwiahty, could hold up a big ship with jW-■passengers/; .It .was .unionism of. a fanatical nature, and the men were cutting their own throats. They had nothing to gam by such action, and all mends-of unionism would-be much ■ distressed.; The matter could have been dealt with m Sydney on the arrival of tho sni( p. j n . pass i ng sen ten C e, he said: 1 don t want to give you, twelve months, t>ut you must. be. severely .punished." On fcV e. of individually, disobeying commands, each man was convicted and pMered to pay', a! share 'of the- costsof the- prosecution. ' " .

made by a "Post" reporter this morning of various shipping officers were generally answered by reference to clause 34 of the.award,.that dealing with preference. Snb-clause A states: "If anX employer shall hereafter, engage- any seaman- who;■ Shall not ,be: a, member of the union, : and * who within fourteen days after his engagement shall not become a -member. . . : the employer shall dismiss such worker from his service if requested to do so by the union, provided there is a member of the union • •;. equally qualified to perform the particular work required to be done. . ."

Thus, it was pointed out, if the nonumomst objected to "join the vessel at Auckland during the period of her last call, then it would seenv that: he had ample time in which to comply with clause .34, and could have made application for membership to the union's delegate on the boat at any time within the tortnighfc. There isa third section to the clause stating that the provision of sub-clause A shall operate only if and so long as the union shall not order/encourage, aid, or abet any strike, job control, or obstruction of any kind, or disregard any decision of the Disputes Committee or any question of manning or other matter ■referred to it, or do anything to defeat the provisions of this award," but hke most, sections of most clauses of most awards it is contentious enough The union view is that the preference c ause operates fully as provided in subclause A, the other view is .that it no longer has its full force, and-ithat at least it. is not observed to the full on many boats, and accordingly some vessels carry as many non-unionists as unionists.

If sub-clause A holds in. full force it would appear that the position depends, insofar o as tho first cause of trouble was concerned, on how long the non-unionist objected to by the Mavaina's ■ unionists has been a member of the crew. -