LABOUR PROTEST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23400, 17 July 1939, Page 11

LABOUR PROTEST

CAPTAIN OF AWATEA

PREFERS MATTER BE CLOSED NO REFERENCE TO WORKERS REMARK ABOUT STOWAWAYS By Telegraph— ; Prcss Association—Copyright (Received July 10, 11.'10 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 10 The commander of the Aw ate a, Captain A. IT. Davey, interviewed regarding the motion of protest against his alleged remark passed by the New Zealand Federation of Labour, said he did not want to discuss it, and preferred that the matter should be closed. ITe added that if he did make the statement attributed to him it had no reference to New Zealand workers, but applied to stowaways. Captain Davey said lie had been on the bridge for some hours and was suffering from a mild attack of influenza when he was interviewed. He did not intend his statement for publication.

Commenting on the increase in the number of stowaways in recent times, Captain Davey was reported to have said: "They are coming in shoals and droves. What else can you expect? They are encouraged to do it. Instead of bfcing given six months, they are lot off lightly, and sometimes passengers pass the hat round and raise their fares. I can tell you I am sick of them. I do not treat them very politely. But what can you do? They have all heard this is a land of milk and honey, and they want to come across. Nobody works in this blasted country, that is

Why." The Now Zealand Federation of Labour passed a motion protesting against the alleged remark, and requested an apology to workers, failing which, it was stated, workers affiliated to the organisation would take such action as might be deemed necessary to compel a cessation of unwarranted attacks on workers.

Captain Davey, before leaving on his trip to Sydney last week, was stated to liave denied responsibility for the statement attributed to him.