MINE-SWEEPING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10207, 18 February 1919, Page 5

MINE-SWEEPING

IN NEW ZEALAND WATERS USE OF TUTANEKAIABANDONED. ON ACCOUNT OF SEAMEN’S DEMANDS. The Hon. Sir James Allen, ActingPrime Minister, stated to a ‘‘Times” representative yesterday that ho was sorry that, owing to the impossibility of coming to any practical agreement with the crew, it had been found necessary to entirely abandon the use of the Tutanekai for mine-sweeping purposes. This is the more to be regretted, added the Minister, as the impractical demands of the seamen have resulted in measures for the protection ■of all seamen in the Dominion, and outside it, having to be abandoned. Originally the Government called for-a crew on the basis of the same rates as those paid in other Government vessels, plus 10 per cent, bonus- No objection was made to this until the date of signing on, when tho crew refused to sign on, and demanded 15s per day, 2s fid au hour overtime, three months’ guarantee, and compensation in case of accidents. The proposed master of tho vessel met the secretary of the Seamen’s Union, and the demand for these wages was waived, and the suggested rates were tho war zone rates in the current agreement between the Seamen’s Union and the Now Zealand shipowners, plus a bonus of 10 per cent, on such rates. The Government agreed to this demand, and also met the seamen’s requests regarding minimum time of em--1 ployment, hours of labour, holidays, overtime, invaliding on shore through illness, and, in fact, everything except impractical demands re compensation for accidents —and even in regard to this the Government were agreeable to a system of pensions equivalent to that for seamen and soldiers on active service. This, however, was not accepted by the seamen, although the firemen, it is understood, were quit© ready to accept such terms. Whenever a settlement appeared to be -near, some quibble was raised prolonging til© negotiations, until tne Government, having suffered waste of money and trouble for a month, have now decided to abandon the project entirely so far as the Tutanekai is concerned. It is understood that the Hananui is to he engaged on the work in place of the Tutanekai. The Hananui left for Auckland yesterday afternoon.