LABOUR DIVIDED

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 31 August 1925, Page 5

LABOUR DIVIDED

OVER SHIPPING STRIKE.

POSITION AT HOME

FEW VESSELS AFFECTED. BY CABLE —PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT LONDON, Aug. 29. The strikers, wlio. are particularly strong at Soutlianuptan, threatened to hold up the Aquiltama and the Orea, but both left punctually for America with complete crews. • Similar experiences were repoi*ted to-day in all provincial pouts.

Preiss messages from Capetown allege that-the captain, of the Arundel Castle guaranteed the. men their present wages until they reach 'England, llie directors ot the. company immediately cabled, repudiating the guarantee if made, ’'and instructing the captain not to make any concessions, but rigidly to uphold the agreement with the Seamen's Union until it is mutually amended. The Board of Trade announces that fifty-three .skips cleared from Liverpool during the past week. Labour correspondents of the Daily Herakl consistently report the non-suc-cess of tlie strike throughout Britain, of which 'the following in to-day s issue is a fair average : Oamlilf. —-“No pickets; no instances of men refusing to sail; much unem- . ployment. ” Southampton. —“The Windsor Castle sailed at the appointed time. South'Shields.—“The strike .is ineffective.. "There As a suripil.uis of men in readiness to proceed to Liverpool, tic-kets-.are, active. . • Hull,- —‘“No ships are held up.” Liverpool.—“ All vessels due to sail left at their appointed times with lull crews;” The assistant Secretary of the Seamen's Union (Mr/ Henson) referring to the reply of the executive of the Australian Seamen’s Un ion to Mr Havelock Wilson's message, repudiated the Australian . contention that “we are just as much concerned with British seamen as with Australian because, if British au<l foreign ..shipowners; reduce wages, such action mmst affect Auisltrahans. That was simply bosh.. The Australian ia.re> local 'UiIkI ailxstoilutely unaffected by eiither British or foreign. Amstraliiaine; are entirely outside Europe<an •coiniipesbitiion. Gernmu, r rencJ’., Italian 'and Dutch companies are paving less .than half the British rates. Therefore they can compete successfully with British ships, hut Australians are immune from such competition.

The executive admits that the Australian seamen’s conditions are much better than prevail in any other part of the world. Yet the Australian seamen’s chronic industrial unrest exceeds " the troubles of the combined unions of the whole world. The oi>\ ioni9 moral is that. Australia had better safeguard its own interests oi butting into British affaire against an overwhelming preponderance of British unionism. ‘ <

British shipowners have again cabled their Australian representatives, instructing them not to depart from the Maritime Board’s rates of wages and conditions, also declining to negotiate for any settlement through the Austral inn Seamen ’ s l nio n.

The headquarters of the British .seamen report's that the men are .signing on in London and 'all provincial ports without exception. The union has cabled the secretary of the Trades Hall, Melbourne, advising that the men should return to their vessels, leaving disputed questions to be settled in Britain.

Hie Times devotes its chief editorial to the seamen, particularly the '.situation in Australia., which it regards as undoubtedly serious. Otherwise the Federal Premier (Mr. S. M. Bruce) would not have asked leave to bring in a Bill providing for special police.

The Times adds:' “The line taken by the Premier of New South Wales iMr. J. T. . Lang) appears hardly less subversive of the principles of law and order .than the action of the Communists who 'started the agitation, here and the fanning of disaffection in Australia by Messrs Walsh and Johan risen. Mr. Liang’s action in forbidding the State police to assist in deportation looks unooniimonlly like a flat defiance of the law of the Commonwealth. If the Britishers bad been in their own country instead of on the other side of the world they would probably have fallen into line with their fellow miion-

( unionism, if divided, can not ON THE CIAiSTLE LINE. . men refuse duty at SAILIN'; TIME. CAPETOWN, Aug. 29. Everything appeared normal at the docks : .to-clay oh board the Arundel Castle and th.e Ballarat ‘at the next jetty. The .passengers were on board and-alii things seemed to wear a tailing day aspect till towards .sailing time, when the seamen, in shore clothes, left the ships quietly and melted away in the crowds. Then a crowd) of stewards from, the Ballarat, came alongside the Arundel Castle and pulled out a hunch younger stewards. Everything was done iti iai: most orderly manner, the only excitement being the loud cheers be’ Ballarat men when more o f the Arundel Castle’s stewards came down the gangway.

-It is understood that the Premier (General Hentzog) has replied to Mr. Havelock Wilson, who urged the upholding oil the National Maritime Board’s agreement. The reply states that the action taken by the men in refusing duty appears to have been entirely' of thei.r own volition, and they have not been persuaded to strike by • . anyone, .in South Africa. It is also understood that General Hertzog informed- the British Seamen s L nion that every possible protection and support will be' given men desiring to vesfery out their contracts as requested. / S-Au early settlement of the trouble • now only seems possible .if the men decide'to give way to the union... The Castle Company states that, acting in concert with* other British companies, it lias definitely declined to concede the men’s demands. Passengers are allowed bo remain on board or on shore as they choose, both on the Arundel Castle and the Ballarat. The men are carrying

on, their normal duties. The Federation of Trades is prepared to negotiate on behalf of the men .should an opportunity occur. POSITION fN NEW ZEALAND. MORE SHIPS HELD UP. (BV TKI.F.GRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, Aug. 30. There is no change in the shipping strike. The Benicia has completed loading and has joined the Kent in ti stream. The Benicia.’s Arab firemen remain. on hoard, bub the white members of the crew have left. WELLINGTON, Aug. 30. There are no new developments to report in connection with tho shipping trouble. The Leitrim finished taking and discharging cargo on Saturday and should have left for Lyttelton and Dunedin to complete the work of discharging, but the crew left and she- went into the stream alongside the Ara.wa. The T-ainui also joined the other vessels ' in" the —/stream ■ yesterday. Ths Turakinaf'will! finish on Tuesday and it is expected that this vessel also will find' herself alongside the other lined? in the stream. No information is available either from the officers of the company or from the. Seamen’s Union. The companies’ representatives say that they can do nothing at this end but await developments. S'eamen’s Union /officials dedline -to discuss the position. They say they are not ordering the men to cease work. They are doing it on their own initiative.