SHIPPING TROUBLE MELTING

Evening Star, Issue 18137, 29 November 1922, Page 9

SHIPPING TROUBLE MELTING

AUSTRALIAN POSITION DHCEHTAIR. Early settlement of ‘the shipping trouble is expected in the Dominion. The position in Australia is still uncertain. A Sydney message received last night seated that a mass meeting of seamen decided! that the Waikawa men shall not return to tho vessel on- any other terms than tho Australian articles. It was announced at tho meeting that tho stewards and other members of tho Moaraki’s crow had been asked to perform seamen’s dut-ieg, but they refused. The Union Company has paid off tho crows of -the Koranui and Kokin. A reporter was informed at Wellington yesterday tli at under tho recent pronouncement of the Arbitration Court in Australia the wages of cooks and stewards on the Australian articles had been reduced by Hr 6d per month. 'This, it was slated, was a greater reduction than the reduction of 10s per month, recently made in the wages of cooks and stewards on New Zealand articles. LOCAL POSITION UNCHANGED. CORUNNA'S ROUND VOYAGE. The position is practically unchanged so far as tho Port of Dunedin is concerned. The inter-Stale steamer Paloona ia •till idle at the Birch street wharf, and nothing definite has been decided as to her future movements. The vessel inis several hundred ‘tons of general freight from Melbourne under hatches tor Lyttelton and Wellington, and this will remain there until such time as she reaches Uioao porta. The Gorin,na, which was tho first vessel to ba maimed with, a non-union crew at Dunedin, returned this morning from Now Plymouth and Wellington alter a smart round trip. She left hero on iho evening of November 17, and called at Oiunaru, Timaru, Wellington, Lyttelton, Nelson, New Plymouth, and back to Wellington. Tho master reported that the free labor crow had proved worthy of their hire. Most of tho men wore somewhat “ green ” at the outset, but they quickly found their eea legs, and ao a result of tho efforts of tho stokehold hands tho ship steamed at her usual speed after leaving Timaru. On the run down from New Plymouth to Wellington last week-end the Corinna steamed at the rata of ten and a-half knots an hour, which is the highest speed she has re-jpstered for some time past. The vessel is to sail to-day for Oamaru, Timaru,,. Lyttelton, Wellington, Nelson, and New Plymouth. The Calm, which is manned with a nonunion crew, -reached port at 5 p.m. yesterday from Lyttelton and Bluff, having made a very -satisfactory trip from the latter port. She is loading for way ports and Wanganui. Tho Union Company’s cargo steamer Kaimanawa, which was recommissioned at Port Chalmers last week with a non-union crew, made a smart run to Westport. She left Port Chalmers at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, and reached the West Coast port at 1 p.m. yesterday, tho passage thus being accomplished in 67 hours. The Kaimauawa will proceed from Westport to Auckland.

COMMUNIST FACTION PREVAILS. THE SYDNEY BOYCOTT. Australian and N.Z. Press Association. SYDNEY, November 29, (Received November 29, at 10.40 a.m. The cargo steamer Karma, sot down to sail last night, -has been held up owing to tho boycott. There are now twelve Union Company’s vessels idle in Australian, waters, aggregating 40,000 tons. Heavy bookings are reported -by tho Ulimaroa, and it is stated that premiums were offered privately for berths on the vorsel. At a mass meeting of seamen the Communist faction prevented the boycott from being lifted. A resolution was passed reiterating tho demand for unconditional reiterating the demand for the unconditional release of tho Lon" Bay prisoners. Jt, -was decided to forgo these demands in tho event of a settlement rtf the Now Zealand trouble.—A. and N.Z. Cable.