DISPUTE ON STEAMER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19891, 9 March 1928, Page 8

DISPUTE ON STEAMER.

MANUKA AT DUNEBIN. DEPARTURE POSTPONED. - "v.-v ■ v"i; • '? DISMISSAL OF FIREMAN. " _ ' . \i'X£ OBJECTION MADE BY CREW. [Br TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN, Thursday. Dissatisfaction among the crew of tbe Union Company's steamer Manuka, owing to the services of a fireman being dispensed with, resulted in the vessel being unable to sail to-night for the Bluff and Melbourne. The man was given notice to sign off the ship's articles on her arrival at Dunedin, shortly before 1 p.m. to-day, from MeHiourne, via ports. The remainder of the crew to-'jk exception to this, and the Union Company was unable to secure a man to fill the vacancy, although there ' are a large number of firemen ashore here. The company then had no alternative but to give the crew 24 hours' notice of the termination of their services. The men will be paid off to-morrow. The Manuka had over 190 passengers on board this evening. These included several travellers who are making the round voyage from Melbourne. Seventyfive passengers booked at Dunedin, 64 at Lyttelton and 57 at Wellington. An additional 80 passengers are booked to join the ship at Bluff, so that over 270 people are placed in an awkward predicament.

When it was announced that the departure of the Manuka had been postponed indefinitely, the Dunedin passengers came ashore and returned to their homes. The passengers from Melbourne, Wellington and Lyttelton remained on board tonight, hoping that the ship would sail to-morrow.

The inconvenience to the passengers is all the more annoying owing to the fact that there is no other steamer leaving New Zealand this week for Australia, the mter-colonial service having been disorganised owing to the tjlimaroa being held up at Sydney. The plight of the Manuka's passengers is accentuated by the fact that practically all the accommodation on the Marama, which is to leave Wellington on March 16 for Sydney, has been booked.