THE SHIPPING HOLD-UP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18721, 27 November 1922, Page 8

THE SHIPPING HOLD-UP

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST SEAMEN. DEVELOPMENTS PENDING DECISION. (Per United Pi :sa Association.) WELLINGTON, November 26. It is believed that before deciding whether or not to give the shipowners a guarantee that the award of the Arbitration Court will be observed during the balance of the currency, the executive of the Seamen’s Union will ask the Government to remove the suspension of section 57 of the Shipping Act enabling shipping companies to employ free labour. Future devolopmnts will probably rest on the decision of the magistrate in the proceeding wiiich is being taken against 54 seamen, firemen, greasers, and trimmers by the Labour Department. The proceedings have been taken on the grounds that defendants, between November 10 and 14, 1922, became party to a strike by firemen, trimmers, greasers and others while bound by the award of the Arbitration Court. The hearing is fixed for December 5. POSITION UNCHANGED. FREE LABOUR OFFERING. (Pee United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, November 26. The shipping hold-up position is unchanged. Plenty of labour appears to be available. Shipping companies say that no difficulty has been experienced. While some men are inexperienced, others have had previous experience. The wharves are still barricaded, and those going on business must present passes. There has been more activity in shipping during the last few days, nine vessels arriving and leaving the port. Shipowners decline to make any official statement on the subject, but it is understood that they are quite satisfied at the response to their call for free labour and with tho quality of labour offering. Ample supplies are coming to hand for local markets. Mr W. T. Young, seen this afternoon, said that there was nothing doing, and there were no developments. A RESUMPTION EXPECTED. (Peb United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, November 25. It is expected that early nest week the whole of the vessels affected .by the seamen's trouble will be running. PALOONA’S CREW GIVES NOTICE. The Union Steam Ship Company’s intercolonial passenger steamer Paloona, which arrived here yesterday morning from Melbourne, /via Bluff, is now tied' up at the street wharf. Her crew gave 24 hours’ notice at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, this period expiring last night. About 20 men belong to Dunedin, but the master (Captain Doorly) refused to accept the notice given by five or six of the crew who come from northern ports. Trouble was experienced on the Paloona while the vessel was at Melbourne on November 13. One fireman demanded the Australian rate of pay, and the company wished to replace him, but the crew would not sail unless the dissatisfied fireman was signed on and his demands granted. After tho men’s refusal of tlje order to get tho vessel away the police arrested 27 sailors and firemen, and 25 were subsequently sentenced to 14 days’ hard labour on a charge of combining to impede the progress of the ship. The crew pleaded not. guilty. An appeal was lodged on behalf of the im prisoned men. On. November 20 the imprisoned men were released after receiving written guarantees against victimisation, and tho vessel sailed at noon, on that day for Bluff, Dunedin, Lyttelton, Wellington, and Melbourne. LOCAL STEAMERS’ MOVEMENTS. Though there is no outward change in tho local position, tho week-end saw the departure ot several vessels. The Breeze, which was held up on Friday, being one man short of Her crew, obtained tne required number on Saturday, and sailed on her usual northern trip. Tho Kaimanawa, which was delayed on Friday by rain, left on Saturday evening lor Westport. She had a full non-union crew. The Holrndale, bound for New Zealand ports, was another departure, but her ere-v were not on the New Zealand articles.

The Waikouaiti, whioh has been laid up at Dunedin for about two weeks since her arrival from Newcastle, was despatched on Saturday for Lyttelton to complete her discharge. She was manned by a crew consisting partly of members of the Union, Steam Ship Company's Port Chalmers staff and partly of non-union men. KAIMANAWA AND WAIKOUAITI SAIL. The local centre of interest shifted from Dunedin to Port Chalmers at the week-end. This was duo to the fact that the i steamers Kaimanawa and Waikouaiti were scheduled to sail from Port Chalmers. Both got away. An interesting circumstance in connection with the Kaimanawa is that she has been laid up at Port Chalmers for nearly a year as the result of a dispute about carrying extra, hands in the stokehold. At the time this dispute took place the steamer had undergone overhaul, and was recommissioned ready for sea. The stokehold hands wanted a, man in excess of the number being signed on the articles. The request was declined, as it was stated that the legal complement was exceeded without the extra nian claimed. Neither side would give way, and the steamer instead of sailing was tied up at the wharf in idleness. She has been idle ever since. Last week she was again recommissioned and manned with free labour. i'lcre was a shortage of one hand for the engine room, and one of the company’s shore staff stepped into the breach, the steamer sailing from Port Chalmers at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday for Westport. The Waikouaiti arrived here about three weeks ago. After discharging part cargo at Dunedin she tied up at Port Chalmers awaiting a crew, her deck hands, firemen, and trimmers having quitted by giving notice in the manner characteristic of the shipping hold-up. The Union Steam Ship Company decided the ship must leave at the week-end with her undischarged cargo of over 3000 tons of coal and several hundred tons of general cargo for Lyttelton. The decision was made good. The company’s big ship repairing works staff at Port Chalmers were called on to man the ship. She was manned. Ex-captains, and ex-chief engineers, experts in various branches of the big marine repair works responded to the call, and the steamer left Port Chalmers about 8.30 p.m. on Saturday for Lyttelton. WAIKAWA’S CREW OBDURATE. EXTENSION OF STRIKE FEARED. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY. November 25. ; (Received Nov. 26, at 5.5 p.m.) Tire crew of the Waikawa have been released after serving their sentences. They did not report for duty. They state that they are determined. to refuse to work the ship. It is now feared that the strike will extend to all vessels controlled by the Union Steam Ship Company.—A. and N.Z. Cable. SYDNEY WATERSIDERS. TWO THOUSAND IDLE. SYDNEY, November 24. Owing to the seamen’s strike 2000 wharf labourers hove been rendered idle, and they have decided to ask the Government for relief. There is no sign of a settlement of the Makura dispute. AUSTRALIAN SIDELIGHTS. (From Ope Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY. November 16. Although, according to their secretary, the Australian, seamen, who have just received an increase in wages, are not likely to join in the shipping trouble, considerable inconvenience is already being caused in Australia through the action of the men on New Zealand articles tearing their vessels here. A more serious development of the trouble locally is exneried on account of the determined attitude of the men who have l-een gaoled, in regard to manning the ships.

Several interesting me'Ments have marked fh P pvn<rress of (he hold-un. When the Mocr-aki's crew first deserted, the vessel nt the wharf they wm-e earnestly exhorted hv a young ladv on the wharf to take the vessel to sea, because, as she naively put it. ‘‘she had a friend on board ->riio '"aa so anxious to get to New r Zealand.” Needless to snv the' gallantry cd the men did not prevail over them principles. The 23 members of the crow of the Moeraki who are now undergoing sentences of 10 weeks' wavi'anment are somewhat surprised at the inconsistencies of justice. When the Waik awn's ware sentenced to two wool-s’ gaol. t.ho

men on the Moeraki decided to be martyrs at the same price. So they marched to the police station and surrendered in a body, and afterwards, in court, enthusiastically pleaded guilty. They lost a good deal of their enthusiasm when the magistrate sent them to gaol for 10 weeks. Through the Moeraki being held up in the harbour for two days before the trip was definitely abandoned, her passengers enjoyed two days’ free board at the expense of the Union Company; but some of them earned it. Several of the passengers volunteered to fire while the vessel remained in port, so that if the firemen returned no time would be lost in getting up steam. One stoker, who was rather portly, found the job too much for him, and frankly announced that he did not blame the firemen for relinquishing such work. Tho others, according to their story, heard mysterious voices which rang through the stokehold, “Get out, you scabs.” A report also spread that the firemen were coming back, and that, the volunteer stokers “were going to know all about it.” But the firemen did not return. SEAMEN’S STRIKE AND THE HOUSEWIVES. TO THE EDITOR. Sib, — There is a saying that “it is always the women who suffer.” Thera are certainly a good many women in New Zealand who are suffering, and going to suffer, because of the seamen’s hold-up of the shipping industry. ’ Many women and children are suffering through less money coming in to keep the home going. We know of a number of cases of men with families (not seamen) who are now oat of work because short supplies of materials, such as cement, have stopped the work. f In Dunedin tho stoppage of supplies of sugar has meant that tho women havo nad to pay a higher price. In order to get over the delay of shipping sugar which was necessary for jam-making, it was necessary to rail sugar from. Lyttelton to Dunedin a* an increased coat to the consumer. Who er sale tho cost was increased by £1 Iss per ton, and no doubt there were other charges to be added. The greater cost is what the women will havee to meet in their household budgets. To-day wo have it reported that If men were put off because supplies are delayed which they require in their work. That is going on all over the country, and everywhere it is the women who suffer. Tho wives have not vote or say as to whether work will cease or not, they are simply expected to put up with whatever comes, andba the sufferers in every strike that takes place, dressing wo find Mr J. W. Munro, in adderssing tho electors, says, “I do not know, and I -do not much care—l am not going to interfere with the strikers—l know nothing of the reason for the strike, and A 'do not wish to know, but when men go out on strike they have a grievance to strike for.” What sense of responsibility has a man who can talk like that. He must know that some strikers have .been foolish, yet if this language means anything it means that every strike is right. -_ He thinks nothing of the women and children. Let us contrast what the British Labour Leader (Mr J. R. Clynes) says about strikes; “Every man who foments the strike in any form is a social enemy; any attempt to restrict or impede production is the act of a social assassin.” If Mr O’. A. Clynes is a Labour man, then J. W. Munro is tot. Tho truth is that “Labour is not the Reds, and the Reds are not Labour.” Bot'i men and women must learn that truth. —Wo are, etc., New. Zealand Weltabe League.