Six Ships Held Up

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 181, 31 July 1934, Page 6

Six Ships Held Up

Seamen at Lyttelton Hold Meetings NO REASON GIVEN Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. Six coastal vessels were held up at Lyttelton to-day by the seamen and firemen refusing to sail. A special meeting of the Seamen’s Union was held in the hall, Lyttelton, this morning. The meeting lasted two hours and it was announced that another meeting would be held in the afternoon. The second meeting lasted from 3 o’clock till 4.20 o’clock, when it was announced that the meeting had been adjourned till to-morrow morning, and that in the meantime all vessels in port, with the exception of the inter-island steamer Maori, would be held up, as their crews would refuse to take them to sea. The vessels held up are the Taupata, for Timaru; tho Storm, for Wellington; the Pukcko, for Waikokopu and other East Coast ports of the North Island; the Port Whangurei, for Wellington; Ihe Kapiti, for Wanganui; and the Totara, for New Plymouth. It is stated that, unless other ports are affected, the vessels at Lyttelton may sail to-morrow.

Vessels Idle at Greymcuth ONE COMPANY CONCEDES MEN’S DEMANDS GREYMCUTH, Last Night. The port to-day presented an unusual appearance, eight steamers lying idle, an increase of three on the previous day. The crews of five vessels, at a meeting this afternoon, passed a resolution continuing the strike. The Kaimiro’s crew this morning refused a call to take the vessel away. The steamer John, of the Western Shipping Company, however, ceased this afternoon to bo affected by the dispute, the crew receiving from tho owners an intimation that the full demands of tho men had been conceded, naluely, restoration of all wages cuts, a return of the overtime rate to 2s 9d per hour from 2s 2d per hour in each department, and improvements in working conditions to the standard of the old 1930 agicement, which the seamen generally are all seeking. Other vessels affected by the strike are the Poolta, the Kaimai, tho Rata, and the Titoki. There are two others nere which are not affected, the Kalingo and the Kakariki, which are on Australian articles.