SEAMEN’S CONDITIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9173, 13 October 1915, Page 11

SEAMEN’S CONDITIONS

CONFERENCE IN DUNEDIN BETTER QUARTERS SOUGHT FOR FIREMEN. Press Association. DUNEDIN. October 12. Messrs Young (Wellington), Jack (Auckland) and Belcher (Dunedin), representatives of the Federated. Seamen s Union, are discussing on certain matters with the management of the Union Steamship Company, in regard specially to the manning of some, of their vessels. The main idea of the discussion is to endeavour more equitably to regulate the number of men employed in Uio engineroom and stokehold departments. Mr Young informed a reporter that there was also the matter of a number of vessels engaged in coastal, intercolonial, Australian, Canadian and_America ntrades which wore operating - on articles of agreement .taken out in Australia with a foreign set of working conditions applied to the crew whiclr cannot bo enforced in .the Dominion', There is also the' question of the discharge of seamen at ports abroad, and they. found this Was largely the cause of the shortage of seamen in New Zealand. It was desired by the union that these matters can trades which are now operating- on tho trades named should do so on articles taken out in the Dominion, and the orews should work under the terms of the industrial agreement that the steamship owners of New Zealand. have entered into with the union. Representations were also being made that tho preference clause of the agreement should be more strictly carried out, the union desiring that the officers of ships should be instructed accordingly. Mr Young said the Mararoa case was also discussed. It -was pointed out that when the Mararoa was about to enter into articles at Wellington in order to take Up the Aucklancl-Sydney service the question of the crew being paid off while the vessel waa lying in Auckland for fourteen- days whs discussed by himself with the master of the ship and the manager of the company at Wellington, with the object of obtaining a ds'-lnite ■ under^U-ncjhng that the men would not. be paid off before any man signed, the ship’s articles Wellington* A definite statement was given by the master that the orew would not be paid off .while the vessel was lying at Auckland, and whilst the manager did ■ not make any definite announcement he very strongly indicated that the men would be kept by tbe ship. That intimation was conveyed, by Mr Young to the men, and with that understanding they signed the articles in the ordinary terms. 'Mr Young said .he naturally was surprised to' learn that on the completion of- the first stage of the Mararoas trip a very large proportion of the crew- had been • paid' off in Auckland, and as .a, result the. vessel was hold up there for special conditions to meet the special case created by the owners. . ; ■With reference to accommodation, for firemen, trimmers,' and greasers on the Maori, representations had been made for am- alteration. Mr Young stated that the floor of the quarters is always about six or seven feet beneath the surface level of .the water, and this left the quarters cold, and a considerable amount, of dampness arose, with the result that, a Humber of, the crew were invalided ashore every year from influenza and 1 other ailments. The union desired that this state, of affairs should be remedied, 1 and the suggestion was made to tlie .com-, pany that the living quarters be transferred to the main deck. If this were done the difficulty would, be overcome. Representatives 1 of . the union i also referred ito the’ lack of washing and bathing accommodation bn the Eamoua and Kaituna, and urged that a bathroom, for the use of the men be constructed: in each vessel.

Mr Young‘ said he was unable to say yet what the, result of the deliberations were, but they did not mean any alterations in the terms and conditions respecting work on board ship. The cost would not amount to very much, and he considered the saving that; would be effected by the carrying out of the proposals would soon overshadow the initial outlay.,: