SEAMEN'S STRIKE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 14 November 1922, Page 5

SEAMEN'S STRIKE

MEETING OF OWNERS FIRM STAND TO BE TAKEN

(United Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, This Day. The owners held a meeting at which it was decided to take a film stand and call for men to man the ships in accordance with the award.

MARAROA SAILS FROM

WELLINGTON

WITH VOLUNTEER CREW

WELLINGTON, This Day. Hie Mararoa left for Lyttelton at 4.20 yesterday with a volunteer crew, mostly Union Company shore and office hands. She took about 200 passengers and there was no attempt at interference. She returns from Lyttelton today. Although there was no demonstration on the wharf the Mararoa did not get away without a small amount of friction. Among the passengers were a number of the Maori’s hands proceeding to their homes in the South, two firemen began to make themselves unpleasant and along with a steward who aided" with them were ejected from the ship.

MARAROA AT LYTTELTON

[BOO PASSENGERS BOOKED

CHRISTCHURCH, Tins Day

The Marwoa berthed at 9.30 after an uneventful uip. She was delayed considerably by nu mo ipern mod scratch stokehold crew, "one or two of whom were sick. Others, however, fottnd the task quite easy. The vess.-d brought 160 passengers, whod were gKen a passable br’akfast and readied Christdrarcvli at 10 15 There was no demonstration on the ship's arrival. A. repair gang went aboard for slight repairs to the condenser, which will not delay her departure. Eight hundred passengers are booked from Christchurch alone. Many were on the wharf at 7 a.m.

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The Mararoa sailed at 12.40 with 720 pasengers and the same crews as brought her down. The intention is to keep her running in the ferry service.

The following trainers left for the North with horses; Messrs Jofford, Waddell, Gravestock, Howard, Lloyd, and Goodman.

TUTAN.EKAI FOR CHATHAM ISLANDS

WELLINGTON, This Day. The Government has received word that provisions are getting short in the Chatham Islands, and has decided to send the Tutanekai there from Lytelton on Thursday morning with passengers and stores.

COOKS AND STEWARDS

WELLINGTON, Nov. 15,

An official of the Cooks’ and Stewards’ Union was approached regarding the fact that the men were being paid off and the characterised tire employers action as a lockout. The men themselves, however, accept unemployment as an inevitable result of the shipping stoppage.

THE RAILWAYMEN ’WELLINGTON, Nov. 13. Rumours have been current that the railwaymen might be included to sympathise in a practical manner with the seamen, but though . the A.SiR.S. Executive is now meeting .in... Wellington nothing has been divulged as to its attitude.

ALLIANCE OF LABOUR

WELLINGTON, Nov. 13,

The Alliance of Labour is meeting today, but no information is yet disclosed except that it is stated the strike will'not he touched till the seamen put their case before it.

PLENTY OF LABOUR OFFERING

NO DIFFICULTY IN FINDING

CREWS

WELLINGTON, This Day. Arrangements ■'have been made for the Maunganui to , sail for San Francisco tlßs afternoon with a scratch crew. Her own crew, who gave notice on Sunday, was paid off this afternoon. She consumes oil fuel and no firemen are required.

The Shipowners’ Federation anticipates no difficulty in finding crows to work the ships under the new provision suspending the restrictive clauses of the Shipping and Seamen Act. Many qualified men are offering their services. One official said offers wore coming in so freely that it was not necessary to advertise for labour.

FLOUR AND SUGAR, SUPPLIES

WELLINGTON, This Day

There is no immediate cause for anxiety regarding flour and sugar in this district. Orders placed for sugar will be railed from Auckland with a slight increase in cost to the consumers. 'The Katoa, according; to a -Board of Trfido statement,-Landed large shipments of sugar at Lyttelton, Dunedin, and Bluff just prior to the trouble, and these have been railed to consignees. Tho jocal flour position is fairly satisfactory. Some bakers have supplies for ten to twenty days, but some are practically out of flour, and a quantity is being brought for them from Carterton. Auckland and the Manawatu can bo supplied by their own mills.

AT GISBORNE 4 GISBORNE, Tills Day. The crow of the Badefi Powell, trading between Gisborne and Napier, gave notice at Napier yesterday. The ship arrived here this morning, and will be tied np. This will affect the execution of the contract for reading and bridge building, for which shingle was being brought from Napier. '

SCHOONER CAPTAIN ASSAULTED

AUCKLAND This Day

■Captain James Williamson, master of the auxiliary schooner Hanto, •whose crew continues at work despite strong efforts to induce them to leave, was attacked, in the street last night hj three men,and knocked down and injured about the face. One eye was completely closed. He is under medical care.

MERCHANT SERVICE GUILD AUCKLAND, This Day. At a meeting of the Merchant Service Guild, a resolution was passed that the masters and officers shall take their ships to sea, but do no seamen’s duties, that ist, no duties carried on by able seamen. COMMENT BY HaBOUR MEMBER Televranb. — Rneml to The M»R.) OHBJSTOHUROH, Nov. 13. Mr E. J. Howard, M.P., said he Icnow pa more of tb« skipping trouble

than the man In the street, but he was suspicious of the action of the shipping companies in furring the •seamen to go to the Arbitration' Court when they knew the results would be felt just before a general election. They knew the spirit amongst the seamen and they must have had a good idea of the attitude the seamen would take towards a cut. It. had been very drastic. It must not bn forgotten that the companies during the war reaped, and still were reaping, a golden harvest. A person need not go further than Mr VV. J. Poison, Dominion president of the president of the Farmers’ Union, for evidence of that. “We had been bled white,” Mr Poison had said in a circular he issued to all Parliamentary candidates. “We must have relief from the extortions of the shipping monopoly. No Government that denies us this is worthy of our confidence.” The complain showed that not only seamen, hut also farmers, had come under what the farmers called the “shipping monopoly."

The cut in seamen’s wages was severe and it was not surprising that the sea men took the only effective means to show their resentment. CHRISTCHURCH. This Day.

Mr Sullivan, M.l’., said be hoped (In.' shipping trouble would soon be adjusted. lie bad an uneasy suspicion (bat the shipping companies ami the linancial forces behind them bad "wmbed the oracle somehow" to land tins trouble on the Dominion in order to prejudice, if possible, the prosper!s of Labour at the general election i !

I IN AUSTRALIA 31 OF WAIK A \VA’S~CTIE \V SENT TO 0 A 01 , (By Electric Telegraph.--Copyright.) (Australian *& N.Z. Cable Association.) .SYDNEY. Nov. 13. Thirty-one members of the crew ui •the Waikawa were sentenced to Imirleen days’ imprisonment with hard labour on a charge ol disobeying .the lawful commands of the master. I lie men all pleaded guilty to the charge, 'the captain explained that the men were on the New Zealand articles and when ordered to duty refused. Counsel for the Union Steamship Co. stated that there was some question of a change ol wages in New Zealand, but that could only he settled over there. The crew had no notice of a reduction in wages set out in articles. The men had been misled. They saw what has been happening in New Zealand and their action was an attempt to prevent any change that may be legally decided on in New Zealand, Warrants have been issued tor the arrest of twenty-four members of the Mooraki’s crew on a charge ot leaving the ship. Both the Waikawa and .Moeraki are still lying in the stream. The company is refunding the fares of the Moeraki s passengers. . . The Union Company does .not anticipate trouble over the Makura s crew. The Paloona trouble is not settled. The company proposed to put another hr email in place of the one who demanded Australian rates, but the crew declined to sail unless the dissatisfied fireman was signed on and iiis demands granted. After the men s refusal of an order to get the steamer away the police arrested twenty-seven sailors and firemen. About 120 passengers are affected.

HARD LABOUR FOR PALOONA MEN MELBOURNE, Nov. 13. Twenty-five members oi the crew ol the Paioona were sentenced to lourtcen days’ hard labour on a charge ol combining to impede the progress of tire ship. The crew pleaded not guilty, the Paioona has booked passengers, and they have been notified that the trip has been cancelled. Mails for New Zealand have been removed from the ship.

IH NELSON NIKAU TO SAIL FOR WELLING TON THIS EVENING

Tho Anchor Company lias secured a crew for the Nikau to meet the requirements of the Marine Department, and the vessel is timed to leave for Wellington at 7 p.m. this evening. The Titoki arrived from the Vest Coast to-day, and as the seamen have given notice, the vessel will be laid up. The Waimea is due from Greymoulh to-morrow and the same fate awaits her. TTe following vessels were in port 'this morning:—Alexander, Kaitoa, Koi, Ngaio, Nikau, Wairoa, Regains, Kohi. Of these vessels the Alexander is unloading a cargo of coal, and the liegulus general cargo, while the Wairoa and the Kohi are taking in cargo.

KOMATA’S GREW The Komata’s crew, whose art.u-les expired at Westport, came overland yes terdny and were taken on to Wellington by the., collier Ngakuta, which called at the outer anchorage for the purpose soon after seven o'clock this morning. FURTHER TELEGRAM HV MR AT MORE, M.R

Mr H. Atmore, M.P., has sent the following further telegram u> the ITmie Minister and the Hon. 1). li. Guthrie (Minister of Railways): “Until .shipping arrangements can be made suggest you cany sugar per railways from Auckland - at, shipping raty* io avoid any ihcfeas'e in costs to public and help local factories going and employing large number of workers. Kind regards.

NELSON MAIL FROM WELLINGTON The Chief Postmaster has received advice that a mail lor Nelson is leaving Wellington via Picton this afternoon. ft will come forward from Blenheim by special car, and is expected to arrive at Nelson about 9 o’clock tomorow morning.