SUSPENDED SHIPPING ACT

Evening Star, Issue 18159, 27 December 1922, Page 4

SUSPENDED SHIPPING ACT

THE SEAMEN’S CHALLENGE. MR YOUNG MAKES SENSATIONAL ALLEGATIONS. DANGER OP DISASTER. [Special to the 1 Star.’] WELLINGTON, December 26. Matters concerning the maiming of ships and the suspension of the shipping laws were dealt with to-day by Mr W. T. Young, general secretary of the Fedora tod Seamen's Union, in the course oi a reply ho made to a statement by the. Minister of Marine in reference to a leaflet entitled ‘A Warning to Travellers.’ In his lengthy reply Mr Young makes somewhat sensational statements. He says inter alia: “ With the strongest possible inference — no doubt carefully prepared for the occasion—but with intentional disregard of the direct word, the statement of the Minister leaves the public with the impression that the free labor now employed on board the ships is qualified and competent, as required by the law. I have to give tbo inferred pronouncement of the Minister a very emphatic contradiction, at the same time declaring in the interest of those using the ships for transport purposes that 80 per cent, of the free labor now employed on board ships is unqualified, incompetent, and incapable of launching or handling a boat or raft in time of disaster or at any other time, and without knowledge of their station in time of wreck or fire*. THE CHALLENGE. "In support of that I now challenge the Minister to muster the crows of ships manned with free laborers before tho Government Superintendent of Mercantile Marine, a representative of tho shipowners, and one of the Seamen’s Federation for an investigation of the qualification of each of the free laborers required by law ; and if my assertion be 5 per cent, less than the 80 per cent. I mention the seamen’s organisation will forfeit £IOO to the Wellington Public Hospital. • “Tho Minister, having given the impression that the ships are now manned with persons qualified in terms of the sections suspended, I have to apply to him for an answer to tho following simple questions—namely i A FEW " WIIYS." “ (a) If you are satisfied that the crows of the ships now m commission arc qualified as required by the suspended sections, why do you continue the suspension of the sections that require able seamen, firemen, and greasers to have the qualification?

“ (b)l If the crews of such ships are so qualified, will you explain why shipping corporations and others are still advertising in the daily Press of the country for able-bodied men as seamen, firemen, trimmers, and greasers, previous experience not absolutely essential? “ (c) As 5,000 qualified able seamen, firemen, trimmers, and greasers (members of the seamen’s organisation) are on holiday at various ports of New Zealand and Australia to my personal knowledge, where did the legally qualified free laborers come from to man the said seventy ships now in commission?

“An early answer to these three questions will be looked forward to by quite a large number of the 'public ; also the Minister’s acceptance of my challenge immediately. Tho Minister says his department has made proper provision for preserving safety of life and limb. Why did the 'Minister not say in straight, plain 1 , understandable words what the actual alleged provision is in place of a bold assertion that cannot be borne out in practice at sea, as demonstrated in _the s.s. Egypt disaster and other maritime disasters? As a matter of fact, his department is working on a, rule of two unqualified ‘incompetents’ in lieu of one qualified 'competent,’ which means that, where it is not possible to fill a job with a qualified man, two unqualified ‘incompetents ’ shall be employed for the purpose. “ A PERNICIOUS POLICY.”

“This is the pernicious policy of the Minister and of the Government he belongs to, and to carry it out the life of every innocent person -proceeding to sea must bo placed in- jeopardy of the utmost extreme. The view the legislature lakes of this principle will be. found in the maritime law which prescribes that two first-year apprentices or one second-year apprentice shall be deemed equal to an ordinary seaman. An ordinary seaman ia? therefore a person with sea experience which the incompetent fieo laborers on board ship do not possess; and two ordinary seamen are not equal to one able seaman. It would not matter if a dozen inexperienced ‘incompetents’ were employed in lieu of one competent seaman. It would bo a. sheer impossibility (through want of experience and knowledge of things appertaining to lifeboats and life-saving appliances) in time of disaster at sea, to perform that duty essential from the men of experience to conserve the lives of those on board ; and all that a non-practical Minister or Secretary of Marino may say to the contrary will not alter tho established fact that inexperienced ‘ incompetents-’ such as those now in the ships would bo in the wav and nothing short of a nuisance and hindrance to the competent men in attempting to bring the life-saving appliances into useful requisition. EMPLOYMENT OR UNDESIRABLES. “It is always possible that a criminal with qualifications may obtain employment on board a ship, as pointed out by the Minister, whoso implication I accept in the spirit in which it is given. In all walks of life there are persons who disobey the law of the. State, including politicians and Ministers who are invariably not punished ; but that is not tho point the Minister evades. It has come to my knowledge that persons undergoing terms of imprisonment for offences and others held ns undesirable immigrants have been purposely released from prisons to fill jobs on board ships, and from four sources I learned that one who was serving a term of six years was seen and spoken to on board a certain ship at this port a week or two ago by an individual who was well acquainted with tho released person. Evidently there are quite a large number of things tho Minister is not aware of, coupled with quite a lot ho docs not want to be aware of; but they shall bo brought homo to him in tho near future.” Mr Young went on to say that the Minister’s instructions in the public interest should have been for the maintenance and preservation of tho qualifying sections of the law, so that ships putting to sea would be manned with thoroughly experienced and qualified crews, thereby preserving life at sea. “THE SHIPPING OCTOPUS.” “But,” he pursued, “so great was his evident anxiety to support tho greatest shipping octopus the world lifts seen —an octopus that lias caused a reduction in the mercantile marine of New Zealand of some 300,000 tons—that ho placed its interest oves and above that of tho human life of the dominion; and with that desire he proceeds with his policy of misconception and deception of the public which he and those associated with him in the Ministry are expected to conserve, DOMINION A SOLITARY INSTANCE. “I challenge the Minister to place his finder on another country in the world that has suspended her maritime laws (or any portion of them) on account of industrial conflict between man and master, or for any other reason whatsoever. In all industrial disputes the mercantile marine of Britain, the_ United States, Germany, Franco, Australia, and many other countries there is not one single instance where the maritime law has been suspended, the reason being that these countries reccgniso_ that ships and lives at sea are not safe without thoroughly qualified and competent, crews on board. In this country the Government that the Hon. G. J. Anderson is a member of is the only Government history of New Zealand that has suspended the maritime law. GLARING CALLOUSNESS. ; “In my judgment the act is glaring callousness of the worst description, and the intelligence of the country should legally rise against ify as that inteJlyjeace rose $

few days ago against many other pernicious acts of a Government that should be drummed out of this fair young country at the earliest possible moment. “The Seamen’s Federation takes full responsibility for tho printing and distriof the leaflet .the Minister takes exception to. All I have to do, in the name of honest men, is to tell tho public that its contents are gospel fact, and at the same time challenge tho Minister to prove to tho contrary. ’ j