WAGE DISPUTE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 55, 3 September 1934, Page 9

WAGE DISPUTE

ON BOARD ENDEAVOUR

THIRTEEN OF CREW LEAVE

AMATEURS CALLED ON

Before she sailed ' for the United States thirteen of tho crew of Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith's Endoavonr, challenger for tho America Cup, loft tho vessel, after an ultimatum demanding an increase in wages and -prisso-money had liccn refused.

There was a dramatic interlude when, calling the malcontents ou deck, Mr, Sopwith told them in plain lauguage that ho could not havo an unwilling, ''disgruntled crow on the Endeavour, says the' "Daily Telegraph." "We have keen amateurs. Wo have keen officers. I had hoped," ho added, "that wo had a keen crew. I am bit-! teriy disappointed. I am not prepared to bargain. Your places will be filled by amateurs." ■ By a coincidence tho crew of tho Eainbow, one of tho possiblo American defenders, was also involved in a wages dispute. Engl '.sh yachtsmen on every part of the coast will agree that Mr, Sopwith has shown his sportsmanship in tho resourceful and determined manner in which he has announced his intention of coping with tho loss of tho majority of tho professional crow of his Cup challenger Endeavour, writes Major W. B. Ueckstall-Smith in tho "Daily Telegraph." Tho men, dissatisfied with the rate of wages ho offered to them and tho amount of prizo-money, win or lose, left him nt what no doubt they considered a critical moment. The immediate question obviously was: How (•oiild these sailors be replaced? If substitutes could not be found tho Endeavour could not cross tho Atlantic ■and race- for the America ■ Cup this .season. Mr. Sopwith promptly decided to. replace the paid crew by amateurs. . EIGHT LOYAL MEN. Those of the crow who remained loyal to Mr. Sopwith, and took tho Endeavour to tho United States for tho races, were Captain G.1 H, Will}aw3,hor skipper; Captain Paul, the navigator; W. Day, mate; .T. Diaper, second mate; B. Frost, steward; J. Cajler, boatswain; and two ablo seamen, 3. Taw and T. Kenneth. . I saw Mr. Sopwith on board his motor-yacht Vita in Portsmouth Harbour, continues Major Hcckstall-Sinith, and he did not soein in the Joasf disconcerted by this ■ sudden surprising turn of events. Ho told me- that it was his intontion to replace the professional soaraon who had loffc the ship by young amateur yachtsmon, and that ho did not think tho amateurs would bo less efficient than the men who had gone. Mr. C. E. Fairey, the owner of theShamrock, had already come forward find offo^ed him any of his hands forming the crew of the Shamrock that he might wish to select. ■

"Three very smart amatouis who have boen assisting Mr. Fairey this.soason in all the Shamrock's races—Mr. C. A. Boardman, Mr. Do Quiney, and Mr. Belleville—joined tho Endeavour. : Mr. Sopwith did not anticipate that the loss ,of tho bulk of his crew would cause delay in the ; yacht's departure upon her transatlantic voyage. The incident would entail some rearrangement of her cabin accommodation, but tliis would be put in hand by Mr. Charles Nicholson.

It seenis that a portion of tho crow, who.had been in the yacht since sh.p liogan racing,,presented an ultimatum to Mr. Sopwith relating to extra wages nnrl tho terms of tlioii- prize-money for tho period of the Cup races. Their demands were: One pound pev week extra wages in addition to the sum of £2 14s par week they now rccoivo in English waters; £1 as per week food allowance—• in English waters yacht hands provide their own food; £50 per man prize-money if tho Cup was won, £25 ]ier man if it was not won. Tho mon first stated these terms and afterwards modified them only to the extent of accepting 18s per week extra wages instead of £1 ss. THIRTEEN PLACES. Mr. Sopwith considered the men's demands exorbitant nnd ill-timed. Thirteen places wero left to be filled wbcxi, aftor tho wages dispute, tho proi'ossional membors of the crew who reinsod to accept Mr. Sopwith's terms left the vessel. The thirteen members of the Eoyal Corinthian Yacht Club chosen to fill the vacancies were Messrs. Allou Bacon, James Bacon, M. A. Belle-, ville, C. A. Boardman, W, Do Quiucy, Reginald Droop, David Komsley, Jake Martin, J. F. B. Mitchol], Be-ocher Moore, Colin Batsey, Dr. Walter F. Uichards, and Nigel Wariugton Smyth. Mr. Sopwith explained that his choico was made in "sheer desperation," . •

"I have been positively 'snowed undor' with applications, " he said. "Many of them aro from men who' know the job perfectly.- I could havo manned the whole of tho '3' Class tasily. It was utterly impossible to pick out the 'best 3 men from such a collection.

"So I went to the eommodoro of tho Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, who happens to bo a friend of mine, and told him that I wanted thirtoen young men, physically fit and active, who had been to sea, who knew their jobs, and were propared to take orders from the profeseional crew. He found them for mo without any difficulty.

"A good proportion of them have sailed together before, and six of them aro going to Lo Havre for threo days' practice. Threo of them—Messrs. Eoardman, Do Qnincy, and Belleville— have been sailing in the Shamrock this season, and most of them have their own yachts." ALL BUT THREB. When the Vita, Mr. Sopwith 's 750-ton motor-yacht, and the Endeavour, set forth all but three of the crew will go! with them. I ; "1 am, reckoning to put in a fortnight's good practice with the Endeavour in America, and after that I shall bo very r surprised if we do not finish op with a crew just as good as tho one we had. At. all events, I am fully prepared, to take tho risk."

The crew of the Endeavour for the America Cup race- will consist of the following, in addition to tlic Royal Corinthian volunteers:

Professionals: Captain, Captain. G. H. Williams; navigator, Captain Paul; mate, W. Day; second mate, Jack Diaper; .boatswain, J. Caller; steward, R. Frost; A.B.s, T. Keunott and J. Taw.

Amateurs ("Afterguard"): Mr. and Mrs. T. O. M. Sopwith, Mr. C. B. Nicholson, Mr. Gerald Penny, and Mr. Frank Murdoch.

Captain D. MoKillop and two A.B.s from the Vita will also sail in the Endeavour.