BRITISH SEAMEN'S STRIKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19142, 7 October 1925, Page 11

BRITISH SEAMEN'S STRIKE.

POSITION IN AUSTRALIA. NO COAL FOR ORVIETO. MORE MEN SENT TO GAOL FRICTION AT FREMANTLE. By Telegraph—-PretHt Association—Copyright. (Received 10.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. SYDNEY. Oct. 6. The members of the Australian Seamen's Union refused to take a collier to the liner Orvieto in the stream to deliver her cargo of coal which she had specially bought for the liner. The coal lumpers are to meet to-mor-row, when they will define their attitude toward the strike. Negotiations with exporters for the payment of an extra £1 a month to British seamen as a condition of their resumption of work failed, chiefly owing to the hostility of the shipowners. The police at Fremantle have been largely reinforced and are patrolling the wharves, as there are indications of a clash between the waterside workers and the striking seamen. The former are protesting against the lack of work owing to the seamen's action, which is driving shipping from the port. The Deportation Board continued its sittings to-day. Witnesses on behalf of Tom Walsh still refused to answer questions put by the Commonwealth Government's counsel. At Brisbane 29 striking British seamen appeared in Court to-day on charges of disobedience of duty. Only 18 could be dealt with, as the gaol is full These were sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment each. The other cases were ordered to stand over until accommodation is available. At Melbourne 38 members of the crew of the Mamari were each sentenced to 14 days in gaol for disobedience. Ten men from other ships were each fined three days' pay on charges of being absent without leave. The magistrate said he could not see that any good would be done by inflicting imprisonment in isolated cases. A conference was called at Fremantle by the Premier of West Australia, Mr. P. Collier, between the representatives of the Fremantle branch of the Australian Labour Party, and of the executive of the Waterside Workers' Federation, to discuss the raids upon the steamer Demodocus. It is understood that the Premier has asked both organisations to co-operate to prevent occurrences of that nature, as such happenings were being used to the political advantage of the opposing party. The representatives of the two bodies undertook to do everything possible to prevent a recurrence MARINE WORKERS. PROLONGING THE STRIKE. APPEAL TO DOMINIONS. Reuter. LONDON, Oct, 5. Mr. E. Shinwell, secretary of the Amalgamated Marine Workers Union, has issued the following statement:— " A meeting of representatives of workfers at the majority of the ports in the United Kingdom unanimously carried a resolution to continue the strike with renewed vigour. Ths union is consequently making bigger and better arrangements at the various ports to carry on the strike to a successful issue. ' "We have appealed to the trades unions in Britain for contributions on behalf of British dependents of the strikers in Australia and South Africa, who have been stranded by the unwarrantable action of the shipowners. We have been in direct communication with Messrs. Tom Walsh and M. Charlton, the Australian Labour leader, to whom we have explained the whole position in Britain. We have requested the continued loyalty ' of the Australians until victory has been consummated, and have assured them that the British strikers emphatically repudiate Mr. Havelock Wilson's agreement with the shipowners. " My union passed a unanimous resolution to have nothing to do with Mr. Havelock Wilson's union. When the strike began the marine workers numbered only 10,000. Now the union is 15,000 strong. " Originally this union was practically confined to Southampton. Now it extends to other ports. Mr. Havelock Wilson's claim that the .Seamen's and Firemen's Union has 100.000 members is a gross exaggeration. The total is under 50,000." Mr. Havelock Wilson, in reply to the foregoing, stated that, his union had 110,000 members, of whom 50,000 were fully financial, having paid a year's duos in full. A total of 26,000 had paid six months' dues and 25,000 three months. The remainder were unfinancial, pending their return to Britain. He doubted if the members of the Marine Workers' Union numbered 15,000. In any case it was obvious that they were mostly strikers. The probability was that not more than 100 D of them were fully financial. He prophesied that the marine workers had troublous times ahead. A steward, Charles Booth, is bringing an action to secure an injunction against the use of the funds of the old Stewards' Union, amounting to £IOO,OOO. He contends that the amalgamation of the British Seafarers' Union and the Stewards' Union, now known as the Amalgamated Marino Workers' Union, was never legally completed. REPLY TO SHINWELL. STATEMENTS DISCOUNTED. I [BY TELEfiß.mi.—l'ftESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. | The shipping companies affected by the j trouble have issued the following statefnent in reply to Mr. K. Shinwell s cabled I reference to communication with Messrs. Walsh and Charlton'There is no deI tention at any ports to out wax d sailings I from Britain. All vessels (in Britain) i are securing full crews without difficulty 1 and the situation is regarded by the shipI owners as practically clear, the only 1 effect of the agitation being that willing ; men in isolated cases are being either intimidated or coerced into refusing work, with the result that they are losing regu- : lar jobs and others are Securing them." j They also state that Shinwell's lollow- ' kg is quite negligible.