THE MALOLO’S CALL

Evening Star, Issue 20655, 1 December 1930, Page 9

THE MALOLO’S CALL

MAILS AMD INTERCOLONIAL PASSENGERS CARRIED SEAMEN’S PRESIDENT PROTESTS [Pax Unitxd Pam Aisociatio*.] WELLINGTON, December 1. Mr F. P. Walsh, president of the Seamen’s Union, in an interview, states that to tho seafaring section of tho community, there is a serious aspect to tho visit of tho luxury liner Mai'.’o, as the vessel entered into tho intercolonial trade by carrying over 1,000 bags of mail''from Sydney, besides bringing passengers from Sydney to their ports of destination, Wellington and Auckland, thus competing with the New Zealand and Australian shipping companies. Like all other American shipping she carries a heavy Government subsidy, but in spite of tho subsidies, tho wages paid and the conditions of employment imposed on the seamen aboard American- ships are far below tho standard that would have to ho complied with were the vessels under tho marine laws of New Zealand and Australia. Owing to lack of trade, brought about by the unfair competition of highly-subsidised, cheap-labour foreign shipping companies, there aro at the present time a lal'go number of boats laid up in all tlio main ports of Now Zealand. As tho Matson Company proposes to build two iurthcr passenger boats of tho Malolo ty'po to enter tho transpacific trade, they will probobly make Auckland a port of call on tho voyages to and from Sydney. If they book passengers from Sydney to Wellington or Auckland and carry _ mails, their unfair competition will increase the unemployed here and in Australia. In view of American vessels being protected on their own seaboard against competition from outside shipping companies, the companies employing New Zealand and Australian seamen, and complying with the wages and conditions of employment, should be protected against the “unfair competition” of highly-subsidised, cheap-labour Yankee ships.