SHIPPING DISPUTE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18768, 23 January 1923, Page 7

SHIPPING DISPUTE

A SETTLEMENT REACHED. MEN READY TO SIGN ON. STATEMENT BA" MR W. T. YOUNG. MR MASSEY’S SUCCESSFUL MEDIATION. [Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, January 22. Tlic seamen's dispute, which has been in progress since the Jirst week in November, has come to an end, and it is officially slated that the seamen and firemen will be ready to sign on at all ports in the dominion at 8 a.m. to-morrow. A meeting of seamen was held in Wellington this morning, and this afternoon the general secretary of the Federated Sea-

men’s Unions, Mr W. T. Young, made the following statement;— With the exception of Auckland, reports are now to hand from all the ports involved indicating that members of the seamen’s organisations have terminated the present position so tar us they are concerned, and at 8 o'clock to-mor-row morning at all ports they will present themselves for employment on the ships. This is the result of an interview our Executive Council had with the Prime Minister at noon on Thursday, in which Mr Massey gave his definite assurance that as soon as he had received official word from our organisation that we would return to work, the Shipping aiid Seamen’s Act would be reinstated. I propose to convey' this information to Mr Alasscy immediately, so that steps may be taiten by Cabinet to-morrow to re-

instate the suspended law. To those who have rendered our members and their wives and children any assistance during the period of our unfortunate lock-out t since November 20, the seamen's organisation desires to extend its heartfelt tuanks, together with the assurance that their generosity will not be overlooked. SHIPOWNERS’ STATEMENT. MATTER STfIX UNSETTLED. ASSURANCES BY UNION NECESSARY. (From Our Own Coreesponqent.) WELLINGTON, January 22. Mr B. L. Hammond, acting-secretary of the Shipowners’ Federation, made the following statement to-night:— As far as the shipowners are concerned the matter is still unsettled. On Thursday last a letter was sent to the Seamen’s Union asking it to state whether its members were prepared to work under the terms of the award and with the men now employed on the ships. So far no reply has been received, and until one is received union labour will not he engaged. Mr Young's statement appearing m the Evening l ost to-night can hardly have been intended by him as an official reply to the shipowners’ letter of Thursday last, since in a letter to the Shipowners’ Federation dated November 29 last Air Young expressed his resentment of newspaper communications in the following terms:—“My council regrets that you evidently assume that the columns of a newspaper should be accepted as a medium of transmitting official communications from the shipping companies to this federation, an assumption entirely erroneous, ami not in accord with customary methods in the transaction pi business.” In the face of those view's the shipowners are bound to await a reply forwarded “in accordance with customary methods,” In any case Mr Young’s statement merely begs the the question in that me assurances he refers to as given on December 20 wore regarded as being conditional upon all three matters men at issue being satisfactorily settled, which was not the case. Furthermore, Mr Young’s statement of to-day studiously avoids all reference to the retention of labour at present employed on the ships, which was the chief point at issue. When Mr Young in a plain, straightforward manner expresses the willingness of the members of his union to observe the award and to work with the labour at present employed, he will find the shipowners just ns willing to give employment to the members of his union. MEN TIRED OF THE STRIKE CLAD TO RESUME WORK. PROSPECTS ’OF EMPLOYMENT NOT BRIGHT. (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 22. Although no information was given out after the meeting of seamen at Lyttelton this morning, theio is no <loubt that the strike is ended, as far as Lyttelton is concerned, and that union labour will bo oftcring to-morrow. The men will go back on the employers’ terms. The strikers at Lyttelton appear in the majority of cases to bo very pleased that n settlement has been reached, especially the married men. Some of the men complain that the strike was badly engineered, and that it should not have lasted so long. One man declared that when the union saw there was plenty of free labour offering and that nearly all the ships were running and that unionists were burred from joining them, steps to effect a settlement should have been taken, thus obviating (ho necessity for the men having to go back and work with free labourers, as they will now have io do. He considered that it w-ould be perhaps three or four months before the . free labourers were worked out of the ships, and that would mean that a certain number of unionist seamen would bo unemployed for that length of time. The prospects at Lyttelton for the employment of the men do not appear to be too bright at present. 'lho Canopus,^which has been lying in the stream since Wednesday morning, requires two seamen, and an application will be made for two men tomorrow morning. If men arc forthcoming the vessel will sail to-morrow for Westport. 'I he Opihi is at present in dock. She will he refloated to-morrow. She has no crew at present, and consequently she can be manned entirely by union seamen when a crow is required. The Opua is also undergoing overhaul at Lyttelton, and will require- a crew when that work is completed. The Storm, which is in port today, will leave for Piclon and Wanganui this evening. 'The probabilities are that she will obtain any union seamen she may require at Wellington, (he men going by rail to Wanganui to join her on Wednesday. The Waikouaiti is expected from Sydney. This vessel obtained a free labour crew at Lyttelton about 10 days ago prior to sailing for Newcastle, and the chances are that. ’ several of the members of that crew will sign off on reaching Lyttelton, thus making way for union men. (From Our Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 22. It- is beloved that: one consideration that tended towards the ending of the, seamen’s strike is the knowledge that in the course of a couple of weeks or so many of (ho so-called inexperienced hands in trie stokehold would become legally qualified firemen by virtue of having served three months in the stokehold. Tliis would mean that about ICO of tne non-unionist and emergency hands would become fully qualified fireman with the right not merely to retain their jobs, but to demand admission to ihc union ranks at any time. A decided change in the attitude of Iho men was noticeable in Lyttelton last week. Whereas they had formerly professed indifference as to whether and when (hey went back to work, many declaring that they Were out for a holiday, they showed last week greater evidence of anxiety as to their position. They complained of the whole position and exhibited bitterness against the non-unionists. POSSTICN m AUCKLAND. NO VACANCIES ON ANY VESSELS. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND. January 22. The seamen's strike has been declared off so far as the men are concerned, hut it is understood that the owners are not engaging the men until the required assurance is given by the union officials. There are no vacancies on any vessels—in fact, there are numbers of volunteers on the waiting list. THE LOCAL POSITION. The local secretary of the Seaman's Union end the manager of the Union Steam Ship (Company hud received no advice up till yesterday evening concerning the statement that Iho strike had been declared off