MARINE OFFICERS’ PAY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 9, 21 December 1933, Page 5

MARINE OFFICERS’ PAY

Petition to House of Lords NO INQUIRY TO BE HELD (Received 21, 2.15 p.m.) LONDON. Dec. 20. In the House of Lords Lord Howe presented the mercantile petition and moved for a public inquiry into the conditions of the service. Navigating and engineering officers of the mercantile marine, he said, had grievance's not due to shipping depression though accentuated thereby. The best shipowners were well aware of the position. The officers were prepared to abide by the result of an impartial inquiry. He instanced the second officer of one of the biggest lines to the East, with a maximum salary of four guineas a week and not entitled to a pension. Mercantile officers were nothing more than casual labourers. The apprentice system was abused and a large proportion of boys from the training ships left the service owing to the unsatisfactory conditions. Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish and french owners paid higher wages to officers than the British. Lord Essendon said that an inquiry was unnecessary. The National Maritime Board was the appropriate body to deal with the matter. On the whole, wages were reasonable. Officers could not expect more under the present conditions. Earl Beatty supported the motion, which was rejected without a division.