SEAMEN'S WANTS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10582, 11 October 1910, Page 2

SEAMEN'S WANTS.

DEPUTATION TO THE HON. J. A MILLAR.

(Per Press Association .)

Wellington, October 10.' The balance of the lengthy list of resolutions .passed by the Seamen's Union Conference, which sat in Wellington recently, was laid before the Minister of Marine (the Hon. J. A. Millar) this evening. The deputation had interviewed the Minister the previous Monday, when the discussion, after occupying a couple of hours, was adjourned owing to other demands on the Minister's time. The deputation included a number of the conference delegates. It was introduced by Mr G. Laurenson, M.P., and was also accompanied by Messrs D. M'Laren and E. H. Glark, M.P.'s.

Among the requests put forward were the following:—Abolition of the extended harbor limits at Auckland; amendment of the law relating to sickness of seamen, with .provision for the discharge of incapacitated men by, the ship under certain specified circumstances; improvement in the administration of the section of the Act which requires payment of an additional week's wages, after the date of recovery from sick-' ness; an amended definition of "deserter" to exclude a man who misses his ship in a genuiije way ; a change for the better in the practice relating to the forfeiture of deserters' effects; strict adherence to the duties of each man included ill tlie manning scale, so that none should be called upon to "do work other than that he signed on for; provision that all vessels licensed to carry passengers be required to carry thoroughly competent crews; an amendment to provide that the master, officer, or engineer who assaults any person belonging to a ship at any time at sea or in port should be liable to a penalty of £2O or imprisonment for six months. The Minister remarked that this last request seemed hardly necessary, as the Shipping Act covered such offences if committed on the high seas, 'and tlie Police Offences Act came into operation in the case of assaults in port. On being assured that men were frequently '■logged" for offences in port, he remarked that this was unlawful inside, the three-mile limit. In such cases the men could, invoke the aid of the Police Offences Act. Hequite agreed that the law should operate ill both directions fairly and equally. With a plea for fairer treatment, the spokesman of the deputation urged the Minister to remove from office the Wellington Superintendent of Mercantile Marine, alleging that the latter was "absolutely biased against tlie men and in. favor of the ship-owners." Instances were given of the alleged maladministration of the law on the Superintendent's part, and it was emphatically stated that the seamen had absolutely no confidence in him. The Minister was further urged to bring all State-owned vessels within the scope of the Arbitration Act, and also to make provision for a Dominion award in the case of seamen, whose position was a very peculiar one. * . '

. Mr Millar remarked that lie proposed to provide for the making of a Dominion, award in cases "where the Arbitration Court was satisfied that it would be-de-sirable "and work well. ~ The deputation had raised many, important points to which he would give careful consideration, and if he coukl possibly do any--thing for the seamen he would be only too glad to do, as he knew the hardships of their life. It was' well to remember, however, that conditions might • be greatly altered in tho near future by the use of oil fuel on steamers. • He knew, for instance, that it was only a want of assurance of the permanency of the New Zealand oilfields that now prevented action being taken in this direction by companies trading arousd the coasts here, and he was afraid that, •very shortly they would be face to facewith a very serious problem as far as -coal consumption was concerned. T-he. discussion with the deputation had: shown liim the necessity of arriving at uniformity: between the shipping laws of the Commonwealth and New Zealand.?! Without giving up anything that had" been attained here, he was satisfied that it was desirable to bring our laws as closely into line with others as possible l . The allegations made against the "Wellington Superintendent of Mercantile Marine were very serious, and he would; have the fullest investigation made;. He* idesired all ■ his officers to be absolutely*; {fair "iff- the ■ of the law, ,: iand--would make it quite plain in this"' instance.