STILL STUBBORN

Evening Star, Issue 18139, 1 December 1922, Page 3

STILL STUBBORN

CORRESPONDENCE FOR NEGOTIATION. SEAMEN'S EXECUTIVE DISPERSE. SO MEETING TILL NEXT WEEK. [P*a United Dress Association.] ' -WELLINGTON, November 30. ; Correspondence between Mr W. T, Young, secretary of the federated Setrmen’a Union, and Mr T. 0. Bishop, secretary of the Employers’ Federation, is published to-day. On November 24 Mr Bishop •wrote to Mr Young as follow’s; ■ I am instructed by the executive of the New Zealand Shipowners’ Federation to write to you in case the intention of the statement published in the local Press a few days ago may not have been quite clear to your organisation, and because it is considered that the meeting off your Executive Council in. Wellington affords a suitable opportunity of placing a definite statement before you. The position is that the shipping companies are nob prepared to engage members of your union unless end until some official assurance is given by your executive that the trouble is at an end, and that your members are agreeable to working under the terms of the Arbitration Court award. Mr Young replied on the 28th, stating that bib council Regrets that you) evidently assume that the 'columns of a newspaper should be accepted as a medium of transmitting official 'communications from shipping companies to this federation, <an assunrtkm entirely erroneous. The council notes that the shipping companies are not prepared to engage members of the Seamen’s Federation until some assurance is given that they will work under the award of the court. You -are . incorrect in surmising that, the men of this federation have refused to work under tie award. The fact is that they offered their services under the award on the 20th inst. at all ports, only to receive the intimation that they were not wanted by the shipping companies. Should it be the wish of the slopping companies, my council* will consider any proposal by them for consideration of the position existing.

Air Bishop replied on the 28th, disclaiming the assumption that newspapers should be the medium of official communications, and proceeding; You say that the shipowners arc not correct in surmising that menuhors of your federation have refused to work under the award, and that, in fact, the men did. offer themselves for work at all ports on the 20th inst.., only to receive an intimation that they were not wanted by the skipping ‘companies. In -reply to this I am instructed to say that the shipowners did not surmise anything at all, because members of your federation left their ships immediately following upon the holding of stop-work meetings at the various ports, and many of them give as their reason for so doing that they were not prepared to work under tho now award. Further, at a conference between your Executive Council -members and a representative committee of the shipowners you yourself stated that there ava® a vary strong feeling in the minds of all members in favor of downing tools on all ships as a protest against the award, sand as a means of averting this trouble you suggested that -the shipowners should drop the award and continue the 1920 agreement. Your suggestion was not accepted by the shipowners, and three days later the members of your federation in Wellington attended a stop-work meeting, and immediately -after the meeting returned to their re-

spective dhips, and gave notice of their intention to leave their employment. Similar action was taken at other ports.

The facts are that members of your federation acted in concert in giving notice of their intention to leave their employment, land'many of them gave as a reason for giving notice that they •would not work under the award. Under these circumstances the shipowners feel themselves fully justified in declining to re-engage members of your federation unless and until your executive gives official assurance that the award will now be accepted. If I am right in assuming from your letter that you are prepared to discuss the nature of such, assurance, I suggest that a meeting be arranged between delegates from your federation and representatives of the shipowners, at whfah this and other necessary matte-re may bo discussed. The ship owners arc prepared to arrange such a meeting -at 2,30 this afternoon, if this hour is convenient to ion. DELEGATES RETURN HOME. UNIONS MAY BE CONSULTED. WELLINGTON, November 30. It was ascertained to-day that the delegates to the Seamen’s Union Executive Council meeting, which had been in progress in Wellington for several days, departed for their homes yesterday evening. Up till 1 p.m. to-day mo reply had been received by the Shipowners’ Federation to the last letter addressed to- the (Seamen’s Union. Mr Young stated this afternoon that the reason why members of the National Executive of the -Seamen's Union had decided to dose down their meeting was because of the suggestion published on Tuesday that the seamen were backing down. Delegates might 'consult the membership in their respective districts as to what future action to take, and they might meet in Wellington again at the end of next week. “That is all the result of what was published on Tuesday,” said Mr Young; “otherwise the trouble might -have been settled yesterday. In my opinion our position is excellent. We have nothing whatever to complain about. As the newspapers are attempting to mislead the men 'concerned, we have now specially instructed our membership to take no notice whatever of any statement appearing in a newspaper. 1 ’ FREE LABOR SATISFACTORY. UNION MEN CONTEMPTUOUS, WELLINGTON, November 50. The ship owners appear to bo quite •atis&ed with the way the crews are working, but inquiries among -idle union seamen •how that the latter are inclined to treat free laborers with some measure of contenpt. “The novelty :s wearing off,” said one onion seaman to a ‘Times’ reporter, “ and ifce raw hands are getting pretty fed up Trith the job. It takes many more of them do the work, and the ship owners must ho thinking hard about the wara cost.” It is well known that the ship owners h*Te kid it down that they will not accept union labor unless a guarantee is given by the Seamen’s Federation that the award will be adhered to in the future. On the other hand, the Seamen’s Federation states that no communication with regard to . guarantor has been _ received from the Ship Owners’ Federation, and that it is not the farmer's way of doing business to take cognisance of newspaper reports. NO SETTLEMENT BEFORE ELECTION. Some interesting Tight is thrown upon this phase of the dispute by correspondence that has passed between the two federations. In this connection late this afternoon Mr T. 0. Bishop received 1 the following communication from Mr Young:— I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter, I am instructed by the National Council to advise that the suggestion that a meeting of representative ship owners and this federation ’ should be field to discuss any matter appertaining to the position existing will be coniidered on the council reassembling next week, and a reply will bo transmitted at the earliest.

It is generally considered that the break up of the Seamen’s Executive meeting means that there will be no settlement before the election® at any rate, .as it w not likely that the executive will reassemble before the end of next week. Delegates will discuss the, question with their members in various districts, so that they will be thoroughly equipped on their return to Wellington. This step has been made necessary, stated) Mr Young, owing to tho imprecision created by the Press that the men were backing down. MORE GIVE NOTICE. CHRISTCHURCH, November 30. Three trimmers in the steamer Walhemo, which is on the Australian articles, have signed, off. but their departure will not affect the ship, as it has been decided to cut out one boiler. She will probably get away to-morrow. AUCKLAND, November 30. A meeting of teamen was held to-day. The nature of the proceedings was- not divulged) by the officials, but it is understood that the men decided to allow matters to continue as at present, and) declined to work with non-union labor. As a result of this decision seventeen of the crew of the Waiotapu cave notice, but their places were promptly filled by volunteers, thus enabling the vessel to sail for Wellington to-morrow afternoon. The men who gave notice reside here. It is thought that the remainder, who are southern men, may leave at Wellington. THE MAKURA. A RUSH TO MAN HER. SYDNEY, November 30. (Received December 1, at 12.40 a.m.) The Union Company’s office was besieged in response to an appeal for a orew for the Makura, and early this morning all the vacancies for seamen and firemen were filled. Tire vessel is expected to sail on Friday. LOCAL POSITION. SEAMEN MEET TO-DAY. The position as far as the port of Dunedin is concerned remains practically unchanged. Groups of idle seamen,! firemen, and other stokehold hands gathered in the vicinity of the Trades Hall this morning, which indicated that something was afoot. A reporter, on making inquiries, learned that a meeting of members of the Federated Seamen’s Union had been called for 10 a.m. The officials of tho union, when approached, were Just as silent as those in Wellington, and smilingly informed the reporter that there was ‘‘‘absolutely no news for the Press.” Tho meeting was in session for close on two hours, and officials and men left the building with sealed lips. The Union Company’s steamer P<\loona, for whTCh a free labor crew was secured without any difficulty yesterday, sailed from Dunedin at 4 p.m. for Lyttelton and Wellington. A number of union seamen and firemen were present at tho Birch street wharf when the vessel’s lines were cast off, and there was a little good-natured banter exchanged between these and some of the men forming the crew. The Paloona stopped at Port Chalmers to take on board the remainder of her crew, and left there at 7.15 p.m. Tho vessel carries no passengers. The crew of tho steamer Progress gave the master twenty-four hours’ notice on Wednesday, and left the ship yesterday afternoon. These men belong to Dunedin, and joined the Progress here in May last before her departure for Lyttelton and other northern ports. They had been working under the old Seamen’s Union award up to the time they signed off the articles. The Progress has boon engaged mostly carrying timber from the West Coast to Lyttelton for the past five months, and this is her first visit to Dunedin since she left in May for the north. Tho local agents hope to secure a crew for the steamer and despatch her early next week for Lyttelton, Nelson, and Greymonth.