TROUBLE ON CRUISER

Hokitika Guardian, 29 September 1928, Page 2

TROUBLE ON CRUISER

NEARLY A MUTINY

ON BOARD H.M.A.S. BRISBANE.

STOKER SENTENCED TO GAOL

• ; SYDNEY,; Sept. 20. Conditions 021 the Australian cruisei liri-sbane,' during lier voyage to Suva and Hawaii for the Cook Centenary celebrations recently*- •• were . brought before theTpviblic,eye' when the" ship reiWlied Sydney on Tuesday last. it was Vannotmced then that a stokei; named bMplt neau x had been tried during ■ thevoyage for writing verses relative to ‘life on board and had been sentenced ■" to three months’ gaol at Long Bay; Penitentiary. Members of. -the ■ crew of the Brisbane state that thn ' to Honolulu will, long ibe remembered by the stokehold gang as, being • the worst voyage that they conld ever recall. The crew, stiid that when the Brisbane arrived at Suva, a newspaper there stated that the vessel looked dreadful- compared with the spick and span appearance of the New Zealand warship, the Dunedin. The captain took the criticism to heart, for during the voyage to Honolulu, paint was “slapped” on the ship and* the crew were forced to work many hours a day on the arduous task. When the vessel reached Honolulu, none of the crew was allowed to leave the , ship and obtained only a porthole view of. the town. Complaints regarding the food were made to the captain of the ship without success and the crew were becoming ! incensed. Petty punishments for small offences were given by the officers and many members of the crew were put on fatigue duties for many hours at a stretch. So serious did matters become at one stage that the men were seriously talking of mutinying and leaving the ship at Honolulu or Suva. The. few members of the crew who were allowed, ashorO at Honolulu were treatted roughly hy American polrce, who, itis alleged, used their heavy batons freely and two Australians had to be carried on'Jo. the ship, after being-dealt wit!* by the Amerir can police.; Both these men were'hit on the head and body with the batons and had bruises and bumps on them ■for days afterwards. . Finally the stokehold men asked one of their members, who was known to have ' a ' bent for writing verse; ' to compose -to eWftresS ttlieir. seritiihenis.' • ■ uThe ‘sailor-poet did‘'**> and offtcert 1 fdvitfd the 1 following ve'rse pinned td a loaf of stale'bread' which was decorated with a piece of red bunting: Rock pf Agesj Cleft for me, This is some poor stoker’s tea.

This was placed in a prominent place ,• on the ship and was found by an offiMr whb 'reported it to the captain. Five days out from Newcastle, the author of the verse, who had been discovered, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment in Long Bay gaol. His pay was stopped as was also his allowances to his wife and two children.

The cruiser Brisbane has ,been always a ship of dissatisfaction since her commission in 1919.