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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4129, 15 June 1874, Page 2

A HEPOHT comes to ns from Melbourne of an effort made by tbo seamen sailing tlionoo to bring about a meeting with the shipowners of the port, for the adjustment of differences between them—an effort which appears to have been met in a spirit not altogether commendable. At the last mooting of the committee of the Shipowners’ Association there, a letter was read from the Secretary of the Seamen's Union, asking the committee to appoint a deputation to meet a committee of the men for the purpose of drawing up “a set of articles that would bo mutually agreeable,” It was stated ill the letter that “no advance of wages or other concession" was contemplated, lint only such a simple “form of agreement as would prevent the disagreoablenoss that occasionally arises and interrupts the harmony that should exist between employer and employed." That there is need for some such form of agreement has been made manifest by late trials at Saudridgo and 'Williamstown, in the course of which conduct approaching to tyranny was shown to have been exhibited by the owners of some of the steamers trading from the port to their men, The committee, however, resolved to acknowledge the letter as a matter of form, and to “ inform the writer " of it, that “tiio committee consider that the Merchant Shipping Acts avo the laws which govern the whole question of contract between the shipowner and seamen and are sufficient.” This was standing a little too much upon dignity. Seamen arc a desorviug body of men, and their grievances should not bo treated lightly. The committee, we arc glad to notice, afterwards thawed a little. They resolved that “ if a sot of articles

were drawn up by the men, and submitted to the committee, every consideration would be given to them, and the views of the committee thereon communicated.” “If,” it was added, “ a conference is then deemed desirable,” the committee would be willing to meet a deputation from the men to confer upon the points in dispute; but they wished it to he distinctly understood that they could give no consideration to alterations which are not within the scope of the laws now existing. A more conciliatory spirit might well have been shown by the gentlemen who represent the Melbourne Shipowners’ Association.

The last quarterly returns published by the Banks doing business in Victoria show that great changes have occurred in the last year or two in the financial condition of that colony, and of Melbourne especially. From a summary published by the Aye we learn that in the quarter ending June, 1872, the amount of deposits was £13,360,000, and the advances to the public were not more than £12,520,000. In March, 1873, the deposits had increased to £l-1,395,000 —or over a million sterling—while the advances had increased by considerably over a million and a quarter. Xu the following quarter the Banks had begun to trade on their own money, the deposits amounting to £11,200,000, and the advances to £11,733,000. In the following three months the deposits showed a continued falling off, while the advances had grown to nearly a million and a half more, thus employing that amount of the capital of the shareholders. Since then, though the deposits have increased, amounting to £11,287,000, in March last, the advances have also grown still greater, amounting to £15,768,000, the extent of the Bank’s capital then in use thus being £1,481,000. This, we may add, is in addition to that portion of the capital of the Banks that has been absorbed in buildings, land, &c. This change is attributed partly to the large sums sunk in profitless mining adventures, and chiefly to the amount of money sent into Hew’ South Wales for the purchase of lands in Riverina.