BRITISH SEAMEN

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 107, 6 May 1926, Page 10

BRITISH SEAMEN

WILL THEY GO OUT ON STBIKE?

It was announced in the cablegrams last night that the British seamen were reported by Mr. Havelock Wilson, thpir union secretary, to be taking a ballot on the question whether or not their organisation should go out on strike along with other unions. A Wellington union official remarked to-day that such a ballot would probably take a long time to complete—so long, in fact, that by the time all the votes had been accounted for the strike would probably be over. No doubt that was why Mr. Havelock Wilson had had a clause providing for a ballot being included in his union's constitution—it could haTdly become effective when quick assistance was i retired by other unions. So far as the local waterside and seamen's unions are concerned, it is not thought that they are likely to offer more than financial and moral suppoit to the British strikers, but the possibility of vessels of British articles in New Zealand waters being held up by the strike is not discounted in local maritime union circles, although it is scarcely considered likely that Mr. Havelock Wilson would be in sympathy with the general strike in view of his attitude during the recent strike of British seamen.