A SAILOR'S GRIEVANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17533, 27 January 1919, Page 7

A SAILOR'S GRIEVANCE

UNABLE TO RECOVER FROM THE GOVERNMENT.

What I am te&ng you is gospel truth, and yot th© peoplo ot Now Zealand wonder wily jircrnen and sailors will not go to sea.," was the remark mado to a Daily Times reporter by an ablo seaman, Samuel Whittj T ey ' - 110 nas scrved in tho njlv y on H.M.6. Dreadnought, was, with Able beanian Duncan M'Alpine, a member of the crew of the Ulimaroa, which left Port Oitalmors on November 19, 1917, with New ~ oala . nd troops, for Liverpool, via Panama. On December 27, when between Panama and Halifax, th© Glimaroa ran into a blizzard, and Whitley and M'Alpiuo were called out at 8 o'clock in the morning to erect shelters for the troops. As a result both men had thoir hands severely frostbitten, and on arrival of the vessel in Liverpool, on January 28, they were placed ui hospital. Whitley spent six weeks in hospital at Liverpool and 10 weeks in London. M'Alpino was in the Liverpool Hospital foi tho 16 weeks. Both men were, on May 1, 1918, placed on tho Ulimaroa at Liverpool to bo returned to Dunedin, and arrived hero on Juno 17, 1918. Whitley was an out-patient at the Dunedin Hospital from Juno 17- to October 1, 1918. According to their statements, neither man received any pay from January 23, 1918, to October 1, 1918, with tho exception of £10 a few weeks after their return to Dunedin, and £5 on Christmas live; tho effect being, they say, that, although their wages, at £11 per month, would from Januarv 28 to October 1 work out rourjhly at £83, they received £15 only. Whitley and M'Alpine nave remained in New Zealand m an endeavcur to obtain their back pay from tho Government, but so far without any succ-ws, although they have been assisted by the Seamen's Union and a Dunedin lawyer. They aro practioally stranded in Dunedin, but have been fortunate enough to meet good friends. Whitley says ho has a wife and three children in. London. He has his papers relating to his service on tno Ulmvaroa and while he was in' the hospitals. They are all in order, and his discharges show very good ability as a seaman and very good conduct as to character. Whitley is prepared to stand by his story, and as he departed ho remarked to tho reporter that he could publish his name, and that ho hoped he would do so.