SEAFARERS' CONFERENCE.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13984, 21 November 1917, Page 1

SEAFARERS' CONFERENCE.

DRASTIC DECISIONS. SAILORS' BOYCOTT, •> »*" r i >r j- >'' i'jV,', Ldfrltoj''August 21. Tho international ipijfcienee of sen farcis ot all giafliispatting "to eon sulci tho crimes coinnnjtW by the com mandcis and news of'the "U lionta of Geimaii) 'ami Anshio. 1 ,;! and some dias tiu conclusions, liavc nJicach been ar mod at Delegatus include repiosenh fives of captains and offieeis, cugnieeia, hcnnion, liiemen, cooks, and stcnaids ot the ineicintile inoiinc of Gioat Butaui, Austinha, N<«' '/jq iland, West Indie,s, fiance, Jtus sia, Ital), Holland, Belgium, \oi«ij, Sweden, and Denmark—both allied and neutral countries—and nil tho resoliK tions are being unanimously carried. Mr J. ■ Havclock Wilson (chairman)! 'mentioned that before the war thorc ■AvcrcGOOO Germans employed qu British ships. Many of them were now interned, and they would expect at the end of the war to return to British ships as though nothing had happened, His impression of th<c feeling of all classes of the British mercantile marine unused .him to believo that that would not happen.' The Germans would never drive the seamen of any nation off the sen, and they should be givon to understand that if they continued their brutal conduct it was going to be very bad for them at tho cud of the war. (Cheers.) * Ono resolution expressed, horror and indignation at the brutal crimes of the German submarines, and pledged the conference to support any action eal- . dilated to put an end to such crimes. The chairman did not think that.this resolution went far enough, and another wan passed declnring'-thnt"Reparation must be. made by tho Austro-Germans for their inhuman conduct of submarine warfare, and until such reparation is made .the seafarers represented" at this conference declare that they will j\'>id i'ii! German equally, re sponsible with the Austro-Gprinau authorities for such conduct, and reservo to themselves tho right to take such action on th(\ conclusion of the war as may be deemed best in order to enforce the view expressed in tho resolution." • Captain Grace thought, the U-boat criminals should bo brought to justice, and indemnity insisted on for.the families of victims. Another resolution pledged all representatives at the conference to withdraw from the International Federation, with executive in Berlin, and to , form a new International Federation from allied and neutral nations; and a fourth pledged the delegates to refuse in future to sail in any ships .carrying seamen of the Central, Powers, if the present, methods of German submarine' warfare do not cease. . , '.' Self-condemnationi. Father Hopkins rend containing what pnrportcd'lo'be'.u justification by ali organisation of' Gor--man seamen, of U-boat warfare, circulated in neutral countries', and a i;eply sent to it on behalf of British seamen, The chairman said that, he was informed'' that the Germans were circulating in'neutral countries, especially • in Scandinavia, illustrated pictures purporting to show that ample provision was made for the safety of prisoners on U-boats. 1 A French. delegate said nothing (•oiild justify the crimes again--' l;t!infinity which had bceu conimiUcd, The Belgian delegates were agreed that no German ship should be allowed to ('liter an allied or neutral port for many years after peace was declared. ' A joint statement made by Scandinavian (Denmark, Norway, and Swodeii) delegates recorded attempts made by Germany to prevent their seamen going to sen, first by peaceful persuasion, then by bribes, and finally by threats, Germany had tried to get the coasting trade of Norway, but the Norwegian seamen declared that, if their Government allowed that there "would be serious trouble, (Cheers.) x Captain Grace (Imperial Merchant Service Guild) referred to the diffi- • cully of maintaining; neutrality with such air* unscrupulous belligerent as Germany floundering about in the ocean, and expressed, admiration of the bravery and fearlessness of neutrals in continuing .their calling in face of fill risks from submarines and mines. Germany had broken the rule of succouring the lives of those in peril, on the sea, as she- had broken so many ' other written and unwritten' laws of nations and of humanity.' She had com-, mittcd the most diabolical outrages that c.ould be conceived, thousands of their comrades had boon ruthlessly murdered, and thousands of homes-had inconsc- ' quoiicc been desolated. Their/chairman had said that Germans ought to be barred from sailing in Allies' and neutral ships for two years after peace was declared. He would' go further, and say that, so far as British ships were concerned, they should be barred from sailing in them for ever, There were people in this country who.had the effrontery to ask them to cam them to Stockholm-to discuss peace witl Germans, Nothing had happened since d their previous decision not to carrj peace delegates to- Petrograd to'itltei -. their decision. (Cheers,) SURVIVOR OF THE BELGIAN , PRINCE, " "PILFERING" AND "GRINNING' , PIRATES. .An,.incident of special interest iva ii,' tho narrative .of'the experiences o a, George Selenski, ono of tho'lsuryivor of 1 the 'Belgian Prince, which; was toi pedoed 200 mjlea from the Irish -.coast ; .-. when the 'members of .the crow, : take' ' aboard the U.-boaJ,for a, while,'wcr cruelly washed into tho sea wtiontii e ' submarine deliberately-, flubraoi'godi ' fa e » lertslnvinanaged ; 'to- find his f ay. bV ''• to' the Belgian Priuce—whicli;)vfl's sfi it,- afloat—after, haying;;been in the 'write - li'ottV'- when ;,thc .submarine. retuihod-1 ' the ship, -and three 'of;four Ge'rniai: '^yciinie-oiuboa^'ii,and'started 'tO; gathc a * tlie {•lotljeH'up;ou.t, of the officers' itjua:

tho after end of' tho ship, but nf to the Germans' had finished pilfeiihgv i tho saloon they came tow aids the plac Whore- I MS hiding and thcie j'ji nothing for null to do but to jump'ok tho stein again into the watci I the swam and held oil to the niddei fo half an horn, and then, ah the suL maiiiio was coming awa\ fiom the atu bond side, 1 una compelled to m\n to the pott side lo u\oid tliem sccinj i me. The submarine then fned at th i ship to mako sure ol sinking hci, <iik evcntunlh tho ship stnrted to setth f down, and I «as again compellul t) swim about) and thru the Gcimans nq ticed me, and pointed then (Ingeis i me, and weie hUghing and giinniiij 1 also 1 then swim to <i dnij>h\ whul , had floated oh" th,e shjp, ani[, 'ii^i ' stiuggling toi about halt an houi i t inanngcil to get in the bo.it, but pnoi to getting lu the boat I picked up flu ship's cat,.which.was floating about oi: I,a piece of -tiniber,' : fliid took it iiif tin; vboat witii'jiic. 'After about haji''an hour-I was picked up by a patrol'boat, I: aud:whcn IgotOH board tho ship 'h ■ -engineer aiid secoml/ook were on board, ■ 1 was then landed, and returned to ■ Liverpool. I loft the ship's cat with the 1 crew of the patrol boat. I-anrnow 1 anxious to get awny to. son again. 1 ■ was anxious to get back after I had I been.at homo three days."