STEWARDS GIVE NOTICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17661, 23 December 1920, Page 6

STEWARDS GIVE NOTICE.

» INTER-ISLAND STEAMERS. 5 ACTION BY MAORI'S STAFF. 1 ■ fc VESSELS STILL RUNNING. 1 ; ATTITUDE OF SEAMEN. [BT TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] » WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The situation with regard to the cooks and stewards has now taken an unfavourable turn. Before sailing for Lyttelton last night the men on the Wellingtone Lyttelton ferry steamer Maori gave 24 - hours' notice of their intention to leave :- the ship. This notice would expire at 1 Lyttelton to-day, but local officials of the • Union Steam Ship Company thought it was quite possible the Maori would sail for Wellington this evening if the pas- . sengers were prepared to put up with some inconvenience. It was pointed out that the only meal required to be served ' on the trip was breakfast, and the passengers would not suffer any great hardship if they had to wait until landing before they obtained something to eat. So far the men on the Wahine, the other s . .' i ferry boat, have not yet given notice, but it is reported they will do so, probably in Lyttelton to-morrow. The notice would then expire in Wellington the following f day. There is no indication as yet that the cooks and stewards on other vessels run--1 ning on the New Zealand coast will give 3 notice to leave their ships, but that they 1 will do so sooner or later appears to be 3 inevitable. Every boat employs a cook and several others have both cooks and - stewards. All these will probably be in- ] volved should the companies attempt to run boats without extra cooks or stewards. Interest will centre in any action which 1 the Seamen's Federation might take. The " seamen have been instructed not to take " any action whatever at present. If the • boats are run minus cooks and stewardfe the seamen and firemen are to man them 1 pending further instructions from, head- ,. quarters. ■ The oooks and stewards are making a " double barrelled " claim upon the shipe ping companies. In the first place they - are demanding a bonus of £2 per month e and their application for the bonus 6 is now e before the Arbitration Court. The case '- was heard nearly a fortnight ago and so s far judgment has not been filed. It is understood that judgment will not be filed for a day or so yet. The second claim is for an eight-hour day, thus bringing New ' Zealand stewards into line with those in ' Australia. ACTION NOT ANTICIPATED. j UNSYMPATHETIC SEAMEN. 1 STATEMENT BY MB. YOUNG. 5 fBT TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] 3 , WELLINGTON. Wednesday. j Last evening when the Maori sailed for r Lyttelton there were no indications of - trouble, but the ship had scarcely rounded t the first point in the harbour when an 3 urgent wireless message was received from . her stating that the cooks, stewards, and j. stewardesses had given 24 hours' notice t ' of the termination of their agreement. 3 Up to the moment of writing the seamen I and the firemen have not appeared in the picture and to a certain extent they are at loggerheads with the cooks and stewards because a few months, 1 ago the firej men and seamen on the Moana and Moeraki demanded the dismissal of the cooks on those vessels in consequence of the I action of the latter in refusing to cook ' meals for the crew after hours. For other j reasons, too, the present action of the j cooks and stewards and stewardesses is a most unpopular move, because all serts ' and conditions of the people are travel- ' line, or wishing to travel just now. ; Mr. Young, secretary of the Seamen's ' Union, stated to-night that the seamen ! and firemen will take no action. As a 1 matter of fact, instructions have been for- ' warded to them to work the ships. Possibly the cooks and stewards on other vessels will be called out, but without supi port from the seamen and firemen, such i action must result only to the disadvani tage of those concerned. The cooks and stewards will certainly get no sympathy from the general public, and they'are getting none from the seamen and firemen. ; COMPLAINTS OF THE MEN. i \ WAGES AND CONDITIONS. I THE QUESTION OF TIPS. [BT TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] 3 CHRISTCHUBCH, Wednesday, j On leaving the Wellington wharf last night » 25 stewards, two stewardesses and the f chief cook of the ferry steamer Maori . handed in their 24 hours' notice which 5 expires this evening, but 13 fresh stewards - and two stewardesses, signed on at Wellington. These will have to make the . return trip to Wellington before they can I sign off. The position is that all. the stewards, with the exception ,of those i who signed on at Wellington, handed in their notices. The Maori got away at 1 the usual hour to-night. It was stated to-day on the arrivali of • the ferry steamer that the men had handed in their notices on principle, because it had been stated both in the press and j publicly that the vessel could sail without | stewards. It was also pointed out that while some of the men made a living others did not fare well, particularly in ' the steerage and the wages, it was con- ! tended, were too low to enable them to ' maintain their families. The time had now i arrived when an effort should be made to improve their conditions. Their work was > strenuous, with long hours and the accom- ! modation supplied was not what it should ' be. If they had any decent clothes they ; had nowhere to keep them, i The £2 per month bonus which had ' been applied for is calculated on the i Arbitration Court's 9s bonus, so that with 1 the recent reduction the legal claim can - be only 13s 4d. But apart from this the - Union Company points out that stewards are fed and lodged on the ships so that, I except in the case of a -few married men, s the cost of living cannot press so heavily • upon them. The Maori carries 19 saloon stewards, ; 9 second-class stewards, 3 stewardesses, 3 cooks and 2 pantrymaids. The Wahine carries 20 saloon stewards, 15 second-class - stewards. 2 cadets. 2 foi-ecalrn stewards. 3 stewardesses, 3 cooks, 2 pantrymen, and - 2 scullerymen, Tlie present scale of wages J s £13 io s for first-class stewards, £13 for second-class, £10 for stewardesses, £18 5s for chief cook, £14 5s for first assistant cook, £13 , 5s for extra first assistant cook, and £12 , 5s for third cook. •, A prominent member of the Cooks and . Stewards' Union stated to-dav that the I men were particularly incensed at what , had appeared in some newspapers. Re- , garding tip's, he said a few of the men did , fairly well out of tips, but the majoritv , received little or nothing, and had to exist on their bare wages. Another grievance . was the fact that it had been announced that the vessels could sail without stewards. "We are going to give them the chance and see if thev can do without us, ' he announced. " The paDers talk ' about the harvest of tins at this time of the year. As a matter of fact we make less out of the Christmas holiday passengers than we do at ordinary times. Thev are mostly women and children and cheap j tnppers. Race times are our best times." The grievances mentioned bv this ' steward are, of course, in addition' to the j mam issue as to whether they shall be i paid the full £2 ger month bonus or not.