SEAMEN'S 48-HOUR WEEK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18051, 27 September 1920, Page 6

SEAMEN'S 48-HOUR WEEK

EFFECT ON FARES,

HANDICAP TO EMIGE-ATTOSI

(From Oub Own Correspondent.) LOMX)K, Jiriy 27. Should the Seamen's Union be successful in its campaign in snpport of its claims for a 48-hour -week, it trill necessarily mean that passage rates will have to be further increased. Sir Thomas Fishor general manager of the Atlantic services < of the Canadian Pacific Ocean Services, in speaking on this subject, said that according to calculations on a pexiod of eix months the average increase in passenger rates across the Atlantic in the ordinary type of Atlantic liner could be between £2 and £3 per passenger. In practice, no doubt the increase would not bo distributed equally over all classes of passengers, but owing to the very large nximbera of third-class which were carried as compared with the other two classes, the difference would not bo substantial, and it would not be far out to state that the 48-hour week would force an increase of about £2 10s m steerage passengers , fafes to and irom America. "I ho very large increase of wages which has been made during the war," he saiu, coupled with the extremely high cost of coal and. the demands of tho third-class passengers and crew for superior accommodation have already necessitated the raising of the third-class faro to a figure -which must seriously interfere with the freedom of movement of the average passenger, and any further increase would unquestionably be a very serious handicap to those individuals who are looking forward to a. new etart w the overseas dominion."