TREATMENT OF SEAMEN.

NZ Truth, Issue 68, 6 October 1906, Page 4

TREATMENT OF SEAMEN.

- ; - : ' a Scandalous asE..^ Ur .: Men Drag^d Froih tlf^'Hospital' tf nfl ; .'Vv .^urnped,pu^hpi-Whaijt,^;'-'"^- - ' -■■:■ ... — t-t*-?-'-;:-,", -••■*<■ V"| Timely Intervention -of Seamen's Uifion y .' Secretaiy e Vonng.- ''„.'_ ,*%'.' • - »<••' % r .. '.-•'■ Two letters appear, on- .page .§. of ' this . issue from correspondents who, were „eye' witnesses pf- 'an '-occurrence ■ that ;.took r ," place., .on" the '.^vharL, on Tuesday,., last.'"". The charges • iniaUfc , .therein. are, of 'a most serious chara-i-; ter, aiid yfTruth" has he.en.'.J-o. iy?ii]f { pains to linil out 'whether .shell state-; I meats were Warranted" . )fy 'fact*' or: ! oth&'rwiSe. ' The facts /of 'Ifficy case '•%]?- j PQai' ; to be «..y folFqws :' T.}Vo Weameil . were invalided; frohi thY 'barque "Brun> ; nel a lid .were* sent id '.the "I-JosfTital fbr ' t'rea'tfneh t. ' Tfie '. Mien were /still m the Hospital oh Tuesday last', "on • which date •tlie' Biuhnel was timed to sail for Dunedin. The^eaptaih^se'nt a. cab. "to- thcy'-'HorspitalT' requesting that- the-, two men -fee conveyed • on board. Why the Hospital authorities should, have- allowed' -the rp.en to. leave that institution m- -tlie -qondifc*, ion they. werp m- is nat apparent, but leave they did, although -not voluiiv tai-'iiy. . They arrived-; 011. the' wharf and -were -dumped down with 4s much ceremony as -a case of soap might be shin- from the hold. The men., being: ill. protested that- they could- -not go aboard. ,Thr?y -were both-. too weak.,to work. ..and it is ..doubtful, whether they were Tit to ..stand/ thd v-oyage, eyen as invalids. '... JVhils't. they' were : still an the whayf ftjr Young',", secre-?, tary of the Sep„in-ens' Union, came on the 'seane,. and v seeing .the 'men's pitiable condition",' he. took the law into his own, hands 'ac-d ordered them back to the cab. Whether Mr Young took the legal view, of ; the .situation or not is a l.uatter. for question, .but hay took the. humane an'd.manlv 'view, and refused, to 'See . . '''.-■■,' ■'-. TWO. HELPLESS INVALIDS- " shipped aboatd.'a' -.vessel' "as ablfe bodied seamen. The men were put into' "the cab again, aM '• iir company ; w-itli.Mr Yownn: we-re dinven- -to^VD'r. Macjvin. That geiitlemaii;Vafter a -t-hor-* o-ii-gh -examination, pronounced- one to be suffering -nfiom a woihkP igj-'the leg,, and- the other rfa-gm an racirtc disease that -..had left him %- a ? -' state of frightful (lehii-itvt Uoth men,'-' ilie ' said-,,,, were,! quite unfitted,- for;- wor k-, and both fit subjects for -the hospital: Armed, wj th-"' . a certificate-- f rem' .the ; doctor;. ..the. men-were .drivep back' ..to . the' Hospital, 'and " th^.,<. doctor -then informed Mr' Y.qung' .that . he had", let the men out.. of .the jHospitaJ. 'not asf able to work. Wit only,^-.sufficiently well 'to. be . shipp^-d „to D,unedin^- : and there again treated Co,r thpir aiihie#tx, As q, cbiisevjubnceUhe me.ii are' still,i-n ■; UieyHosiiit-ai, and. ..the ba-.rft.iie Btyfiii?! j has" hail „t o proceed on' her way to" dunedin without them. Whether , £ie skipper was able to. secure the neces-' >sary_ .extra hands, "or whether his vessel sailed short" handed we do not know, but it is -very : -evident.;'! 'frorif • the 1 facets* abeye -fiyen that had the captain" heen aide-- to -H'S't tbe twa' ,in.val|ds 'ab-bard' he woirUl^bave made the" pas.sage"'witlV a fuli <romo lenient of seamen oiv his books, butr-in, reality- two short. ', •'. ■; " •'"■ ' ''"' . "'lri'. blaming Mr Smith, '.the' -Ship- 1 pin- 'Master) -in the ..matter our r'cor- ; respondent evldenilv at fault, atf •the' rgen 'wej.-e not oil tfie wftarf until' afle* iJJ the "Shipping Office' was closed". .D'ireetly, therefore', --, the tShippin?,' 'Office cii'iinbt; be'lic-ld accountable," but 'iniiirectly it' is ' J :. . -- .- .; : ' ■■ '.VERY MUCH TO BLAME. ; It must have been known to' Mr Smith that these- -two men bad. been rembved' to the Hospital, and it must I have „a lso, bepn.' known to, .him that-_t£e-Br.u'nne.l., Was 'cine to.,sa'iKon tliatidate, ,and..tl).at..l;he^.c - \yas a difficulty i' 1 . 1 .; s ?.^i'i»s. a ,j:i's\v: . : .lC'Mi'..Smkth : was nob . aw*ar.e. , o| ', .thpse." . things -, an-4 idjd.no't.^or -cou\4 no.t.ytake precauIliPl 1^.: 1 . 0 -pi'cvent th^'sh!.p.., either ..saill^hpT.^harl; manued. __$ tv"itii.. I sipk tiail'ors j! -hipped, as A . 8.0,. jyc' ..WAuld',.li-ke to jil.'npw'of >vh{it use 4)e .Shipping. Master. '.is,, and ,I.o, what end. lie, dpUvs Jii^.'pav.'. Thi.s.is nQt,the.iirst itjme'that ,toni:p.l.ainlr> htye ..beeii' made, against' the ;.Sh'ippjhg._ Jvlastev a nd the coiiducty.of Ins office,, ixfld .it,, yiighl • be as . ( welt ,if sbine.cnquiry .were held into the- why and '.wherefore of the, present .case.- Jt. i-. ; . a disgirace^ul state of affairs for a it-iv.^lised . country .that- two. invalids vi\n be, brought .from..: their teds m. a ip'ublic 'hospital, and dumped down at- a !'shi.p's side, as Jlunigh. they v;ere car^o, !,'aii(i , ' , (had'lt not*, nqe^i fo.r' Mr Young's i; timely action) booked a^' ordinary sealimcn capubla-t oTf do'iiig Seaifien'.-; work. .jit-; .is this sort. <yf.t.\ii'ng i tliut O kiUi.y'^ Ulie BritisliWailor.j lie .'objects Jo I'o--,j <._._.__ treated -as-. so "iry.ic'ir'.ca'rnon aii^ ''•inus place, 'to the"Scandy"'aiid. the. jiSjiVareliCa'd-.' r.l t.- wilT'. be a "very"' had jltfftLw oJ-tt lor- England if ever she his, ijiieed to man her war-sli^'ps Irom" the l-incrcantile marine.., "" ...'. "" , .- ''