THE SEAMEN'S UNION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16545, 19 November 1915, Page 7

THE SEAMEN'S UNION

NO TROUBLE WITH EMPLOYERS. COMPLAINT AGAINST NEWSPAPERS. (Pea T7FtTF.i» Purcss Association.! ■ WELLINGTON. November 18. Referring to the Dunedin telegram regarding strike " scare news" and the opinions of Mr Belcher, Mr W. T. Young (secretary of the New Zealand Federated Seamen's Union) made the following statement to-day:—"l entirely agree with tho remarks of Mr Belcher, as published this morning, and am quite satisfied that if any trouble is brought about in, our membership it will be entirely the result of the nonsensical publication of a portion of the press of -this country, which for' the past four or five weeks has published wild innuendoes and rumours which have not the slightest foundation. Beyond the mere shortage that has been experienced, there is not the slightest friction in existence between the union and the steamship owners. Respecting troopships, the union recognises that they are a different class of vessel to the ordinary trading ships, inasmuch as. they are under the Admiralty, and all war regulations are applicable, to them. Certain troubles have arisen with these vessels during the progress of the war, such as the Tahiti incident. On the last voyage the master of the ship and, through him, the Government—the 'charterers of the vessel--had entered into an agreement with the men which terminated on the return to the Eort of Wellington, and if anyone was to lame for the ship not proceeding south with the wounded soldiers it was certainly not the men, but the Government. Regarding the Willochra and tho Toiua, m the latter ship there was no trouble whatever; and in the case of the former vessel, the only trouble wa» that she was not properly manned on deck or in the stokehold. Proper representations were made through the union, and the whole difficulty, was overcome without any trouble. This was a mere fleabite, but notwithstanding <his portion of the press published articles and paragraphs which led the public to believe that there was some great industrial upheaval. What the public want to be guarded against is not the action of the seamen or the Seamen's Union, but the publication of some of the news in the daily papers."