DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19717, 18 February 1926, Page 10

DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT.

PANDEMONIUM ON SHIP. OFFICER BRUTALLY ASSAULTED. RETURNING VOLUNTEERS ON TAIN Cl. (From Cub Own Cobb es ton dent.) CHRISTCHURCH, February 17. The immigrants aboard the Taiuui, which arrived at Lyttelton this morning, complained of the boisterous and unruly conduct of the New Zealanders who acted as free laoourers on the vessel’s voyage home, and who retained to the Dominion by her. Mr A. J. Carr, who with his wife and family of six. arrived by the vessel, says that the men’s attitude throughout the voyage was disgusting, as they loudly proclaimed their intention of throwing the third officer overboard. A number of the New Zealanders returning to the Dominion, after having worked their passages to the Old Country, assumed control of things aboard the Tuinui last At on day night while the liner was still at sea. Rushing around in a frenzy of excitement, and generally behaving like madmen, they threw furniture into the sea, smashed many pounds worth of crockery and paraded the decks until 2 a.m. on the lookout for the officer. Earlier in the night they had seiozd him, and it is said that, he was brutally assaulted, but it was not until several hours after this occurrence that the men formulated a scheme of ridding themselves of the man who had stepped in when they had ventured to dispute the authority of a lady in charge of the 60 domestic servants on board the vessel. “Let’s get him,” shouted one of the men as they rushed to the fo'c’sle. There, pouncing upon the officer, they are said to have kicked him until it seemed that it was their intention to take his life then and there, but assistance was forthcoming, and bearing many souvenirs of the very onesided encounter, the officer was rescued when things looked at their worst. From the commencement of the voyage the conduct of the men is said to have been far from exemplary. Not only was their conduct insulting to the immigrants aboard the vessel, but their behaviour generally tended to make (ho voyage an altogether unpleasant experience. Sleep was impossible when the “gang was out,” and it is said to have been often. On the first night at sea the men gave a sample of what was to follow, but, although their conduct on that occasion was objectionable, ti was a sample which did not give anything like a correct indication of their capacity for creating mischief. Singing until 3 o’clock in the morning might have been excused in itself Fights amongst the men might have been looked upon as purely personal affairs, but studied insolence was not to be tolerated, and even at that early stage in the 12,000rnile journey some of the men got themselves on the bad side of the immigrants Every night was the same, and there was no variety in the proceedngsi. Sometime, admittedly, the rowdyism was more objectionable than at others. Then came the carnival dance. The vessel was 10 days out. and the men, from their boasts, were ready for anything. It promised to be a pleasant evening, but it was spoilt by the downright bad behaviour of the men. It was because’ of their conduct that the 00 girls under the control of Miss J. Shirley had to be withdrawn From the dance. I,ate in the evening Miss Shirley decided that things had gone far enough, and she told the girls' to to their cabins, but the men told them to stay where they were. The girls for their part showed an inclination to obey the command of their mistress rather than fall in with the advice of the men. but when (hey turned to go they were barred by the New Zealanders. “Stay where you are,” they commanded, “you need not bother about her,” and Aliss Shirley was soon to learn that the situatoiu liad developed to that stage when a man’s aid was required. She sent for the third officer, who, when informed as to what had happened, had no hesitation in stepping in and hurrying the girls off to their cabins. The men stood by and watched, for the most part quietly. There wore some remarks, but they were ignored. The officer, however. had not gone far along the deck when ho became aware of the fact that about 59 frenzied men wore at his heels, their clamorous call for violence producing a pandemonium, which when heard aboard a vessel at sea. betokens serious consequences for someone. lie reached the fo’c’sle before the men wore upon him, but ho had no chance of getting out , of harm’s way. 110 tried to pacify them, but they were not to be pacified. He told them that they were not behaving like gentlemen, and they replied that his opinion counted for little with them. Then, it is said, they set about to show him that there, is a certain type of new Zealander that is not altogether particular whether ho coniines the use of his boots to treading the macadam, and the officer was severely handled and kicked. If: was some hours after that the party was once more on the warpath. In the time that had elapsed since their first brush with the officer they had decided that, for the sake of future carnival dances, it would perhaps bo advisable to get the officer out of the way tor all time. So from the galley they got a very commodious flouroag, and it was in this that they proposed that ho should make his last sea trip. Some of the passengers looked upon it all as an immense joke, but others were quick to realise the serious side of things, and the officer was desired to keep out of the way. By the next time the men caught sight of the blue-coated figure their tnry was spent, and for the rest of the voyage the officer was unmolested. Why were the girls sent to their cabins? “Because the conduct of the men was rotten.” said one of the passengers, when this question was put to him shortly after his arrival in Christchurch this morning. “They didn’t behave 1 ike men —they were hooligans from first to last. It was billed as a carnival dance, and those men made a carnival of it. Their conduct at the dance was disgraceful.” Things wore on the move throughout the voyage, but on the last.night at sea they moved with more than customary vigour. Tables, chairs, crockery, and foodstuffs went overboard, and once more mention was made of the third officer. The men showed no regard for other people’s property. They broke whatever, they could, and that which they could not went overboard. Flour, sugar, oatmeal, and all manner of foodstuffs wore strewn about the docks. Windows were smashed, and officers and immigr. nts —everyone who was not a New Zealander —is said to have been insulted. “By two o'clock in the morning it was disgusting.” said Air A. >l. Carr, one of the passengers aboard the vessel. "How tlie authorities tolerated it .1 do not know. We didn’t know what was going to happen next. Everyone was losing money and valuables -from the cabins, and we were afraid to leave them. It tended to give one an unfavourable impression of Now Zealanders generally, but I am told that they were not the best New Zealanders — not by a long way. T men were complaining right from the start that the shipping company had not treated them right. A £5 bonus was (hie to them, they said, and (hey had not pot it. That was tiie cause of a.II the tumble.”