LABOUR DISPUTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 March 1926, Page 7

LABOUR DISPUTES

AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING. (Australian and N.Z; Cable Association.) SYDNEY, March 2. .Firemen from the steamer. Willaston at Newcastle were sentenced to forty-eight hours’ goal on a charge of wilful disobedience of a command of the Master. The Captain gave - evidence that the men were on New Zealand articles. They signed on at Wellington and were demanding Australian rates of pay to take/ the vessel to Nauru. Four more coastal steamers manned by volunteer crews will be despatched from Sydney. Volunteers are offering freely. It is considered on the waterfront that the seamen come nearer to repeating the grave error which they made when they refused duty, on. the Newcastle and Hunter River Company’s ships in 1924, and now have to stand idly by watching volunteers man these ships ever since. . A notable feature of the despatch of all the steamers manned by volunteers, is that they are loaded

by members of the Watersiders’ Federation. A largely attended meeting of the Waterside Workers’ Federation decided not to handle the cargo on the coastal vessels that are manned by the volunteer crews. The coastal companies will now be forced to engage volunteer wharf labour. In the meantime, ships continue to sail manned by volunteer tcrews. , SERVICES ALMOST NORMAL, ‘ - SYDNEY. March 4. Coastal shipping services have been restored almost to normal in consequence of the manning of vessels with volunteer crews. No further additions have been made to the idle fleet. The threat of the watersiders not to work volunteer ships is not expected to affect the smooth running of the coastal services. COAL-MINERS TO STRIKE? SYDNEY, March 3. . In the Assembly the Member for Newcastle disclosed, serious industrial trouble in the South Maitland coal field,' where six large collieries are affected. He added that the trouble might come to a crisis within forty-eight hours. The men are greatly dissatisfied on a number of grounds. WAITOMO STOKERS FINED (Per Press Association.') AUCKLAND, March 3. Thirteen members of the stokehold crew of the steamer Waitoino who refused to take the vessel to sea last Saturday, because of their objection to the cook, appeared at the Police Court to-day, when (hey denied combining to disobey lawful co.mmands, or alternately, neglecting their duty. Counsel for the prosecution said the ship’s complement was forty-two. The rest were satisfied with the cooking,' and were ready to go to sea. It seemed to him like the rub of a minority. Counsel for the defence said it was obvious that the men had a legitimate complaint. They had several objections to the cook and his .cooking, the main one was that the meat had been tainted since the ship was recomjnissioned six weeks ago. The galley was extremely dirty. After evidence was heard, the Magistrate said the men’s action should have beeh the last thing, to do. They had proper means of settling the dispute. Each would be fined five pounds, and allowed forty-eight 'hours to pay.