SEAMEN'S UNION.

North Otago Times, Volume CIII, Issue 13654, 23 August 1916, Page 2

SEAMEN'S UNION.

DISSATISFACTION IN AUCKLAND. • a . (P»r Preii Auociitlonl AUCKLAND. August 21. Further inquiries respecting the al- : leged dissatisfaction among members'of the Auckland Seamen's Union in regard to the proceedings at the conference of delegates of the Federated. Seidell 's Union, show that .there is a fear of a governing bureaucracy being established, which will be the mjisl?r„ instead of'the sl'rvanf of tlie in'en. The ' more• moderately-minded members 'of tiie' l uiuon are afraid that'.there is a scheme on foot to consolidate the " :: power of the officials and to place the centralised funds under bureaucratic control and to give the governing bureaucracy such a position of authority ' as to enable it to dictate policies and actions to which a great many men are opposed. This fear is based apparently on what is Jsnown of the remits placed before the conference. The remits on the conference agenda paper numbered 88, of which 38 were from ' Wellington and 17 were from the head office, Only IS were scuf from Auckland, and live from Duucdin'. Commenting on the remits, the seamen point- out that the proposals relating to the election of general' secre- '■ lary reduce the miiiiljer of eligible candidates to about four, besides increasing (lie teriii of office from oiic.'ycar, as'at present, lo three years. A cen-. Jralisation of funds and power, they • , declare, would mctm that the head office ■ " would be able to dictate terms and'com- ' pe] Auckland to follow any "wild ca't" " scheme' ot' industrial upheaval which might originate in Wellington. The proposals relating to affiliation with oulside bodies are declared lo be syndicalistic in intention, A seaman who' attended an extraordinary meeting of the Federated Stamen's Union on Wednesday said that it was the'lirsl meeting lie had i attended at the Trades Hall since the 19J3 strike,' At' thai lime, lie said, ; lie went to obtain'assistance, lie declared that lie found tiie officials there surrounded by tins of fancy biscutis and all kinds of delicacies, while lie and' his family' had been subsisting on. "sehuapper heads and potato skins."' The talk on Wednesday which he heard' about affiliation with other bodies, etc., lie slid, reminded him ol' Mic spirit of IUJu.