FAINT HOPE OF WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19149, 15 October 1925, Page 11

FAINT HOPE OF WORK.

STRIKING BRITISH SEAMEN. LOYAL CREWS RETAINED. ISLANDS FOR THE AGITATORS. BALDWIN CABINET CONSIDERS. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. (Received 9-5 p.m.) Sun. LONDON. Oct. 14. The secretary of the British Sailors and Firemen's Union, Mr. Cathery, announces that the striking seamen have a faint chance of securing work in England. Many of ihe shipping companies are retaining the scratch crews as a reward for their loyalty. 'Phe Daily Mail, in a leading article under the caption of "A Lesson in Handling the Reds," says: — "The plotters behind the French general strike and the British shipping strike have received severe blows. Everywhere they have been handled firmly. "It is gratifying to learn that the British Cabinet is now considering the adoption of one of Mr. S. M. Bruce's measures. There are plenty of small, and not unpleasant, British islands to which persons who are convicted of offences against the laws relating to trade conciliation and arbitration could bo sent when their presence is dangerous in England. "This question is urgent, because the existing deportation law for mischievous aliens is a dead letter in the majority of cases, and because most of the deportees from Australia and South Africa are likely to be dumped in England. No other country in the world will admit them." SHIP SECURES CREW. OTIRA AT SYDNEY, THE COMING CONFERENCE. Australian and X.7,. Cable Association. (Reed. 1J.35 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. It. The chief feature of the shipping strike to-day was the engagement of a crew for the steamer Otira. It is anticipated that she will sail for London to-nigbL The cause of the delay is a shortage in the stokehold staff. Only unionists with regular discharges were shipped to fill the vacancies on the vessel. It is stated that the representatives of the British seamen who are to attend Monday's compulsory conference will seek a settlement on the lines of that adopted at South African ports. WALSH'S CASE CLOSED. AN ABRUPT CONCLUSION. DEPORTATION BOARD SCENE. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reed. 10.35 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 14. After having sat for 27 days the Deportation Board abruptly closed its proceedings to day, so far as Tom Walsh's case is concerned. Mr. A. R. Watt, K.C., counsel for Walsh, said that after yesterday's adjournment he and his fellow counsel had gone .carefully into the whole matter of the board's proceedings. He then submitted a statement protesting against the board, and against "the inhuman proposal to tear from his family and send to perpetual exile the father or seven children." All these children, he said, were natives of the Commonwealth. Four of them were still infants. AH this was to be done "at the behest of a huge combine with which the business interests of at least one member of the Federal Mir istry are closely associated." Mr. Watt said ho could not close Walsh's case, nor do justice to it, unless his statement included the evidence which the board had refused to receive. Asked if he intended to proceed Mr. Watt said his statement spoke for itself. Mr. S. E. Lamb, K.C., counsel for the Crown, said the board had submitted too long to the vain repetition of evidence. He asked the board to let Mr. Watt take any course he liked, and to grant no further adjournment. The chairman announced that the board had no alternative but to close the Walsh inquiry. The case against Jacob Johnson was adjourned for a week. SHIPS IN AUSTRALIA. RESTORING THE SERVICES. VARIOUS PHASES OF DISPUTE. A. and N.Z. SYDNEY. Oct. 14. Additional men offered their services to the overseas shipping agents to-day. This had a perceptibly weakening effect on the morale of the striking British seamen. The Otira has secured a full crew, and she will sail direct for England. All the other British vessels at Sydney are preparing for lemoval from the stream to loading berths in anticipation of a settlement of the dispute. Mr. Justice Powers, president of the Federal Arbitration Court, in giving his reasons for calling a compulsory conference of the parties, stated at Melbourne that there was serious industrial trouble extending throughout all the States. The export trade to Britain was seriously retarded, and there, was evidence of an urgent desire cn the part of the Australian public that the strike should be speedily settled. His Honor suggested that the British sea.men should appoint three reasonable men in Melbourne and Sydney as their representatives of the conference on Monday, with power to settle the dispute, the expenses of the Melbourne delegates to be paid if necessary. Speaking at Gympie, Queensland, the Prime Minister. Mr. S. M. Bruce, reiterated his statement that the idle ships must be manned. Possibly the trade unionists, nominated by extremists, might refuse to load them. If that occurred the ships must, and would, be loaded. It might also be necessary to protect the men who worked the ships. Should the State Governments fail to do this the Federal Government would step in and afford the necessary protection. It would act under the power of the King's Peace of the Commonwealth and of the Constitution —a power which had never before been exercised.

The engineers of the South African chartered steamer Apolda, which is tied up at Bunbury, Western Australia, owing to the strike, found that the oil containers which lead to the main engines had been filled with sand. Had the engines been started the bearings would have been ruined in a few revolutions. The Premier of Western Australia, Mr. P. Collier, on being advised that, owing to the strike, the Empire Press Union delegates could not visit that State, commented that the shipping trouble at Frernantle had been exaggerated. His Government had guaranteed safe corn!act and immunity from molestation to ships which called at Western Australia.