SEAMEN’S STRIKE ENDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21952, 13 May 1933, Page 14

SEAMEN’S STRIKE ENDED

NEW TERMS ACCEPTED URGE MAJORITY FAVOURABLE RETURNING TO NORMAL MINOR HITCHES OCCUR (Pejb United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 12. Mr Walsh, president of the Federated Seamen’s Union, announced this afternoon that, the strike is at an end. The terms of settlement for the new agreement were submitted to' the members of the Seamen’s Union in all ports, and, by a large majority, the members aeeepted the agreement arrived at by the representatives of the seamen and the shipowners. The strike is therefore offNews that the unions at Lyttelton and Dunedin had accepted the new agreement was. received by mid-day to-day, but it was not until 2 p.m. that news was received that the men at Auckland had accepted the shipowners’ terms and that the hold-up had definitely ended. As soon as this news had been given out to the various shipping companies a definite start was made to man most of the vessels laid up here. It was then that the significance of a clause in the new agreement by which the shipowners agreed to sign on each crew that had been paid off during the dispute became apparent. It was found in a number of cases at Wellington, and also at other ports, that some of the members of the crews of- the various ships had left the port at which they had been paid. Under the agreement the owners could not replace these men ‘even temporarily by others without the permission of the union officials, and it is understood that in each case the officials refused to give that permission. Thus a number of. ships which would have left Wellington and other ports to-day will not be able to sail before to-morrow at the earliest. '

The Union Company paid off the Tamahine’s volunteer crew yesterday and signed on her old union crew. The vessel’s departure for Picton had been postponed until 6.30 p.m. yesterday to eifable this to he done. After her union crew had been signed on it is understood that the members refused to man the vessel until she had been thoroughly fumigated and their quarters cleaned out, the reasons being that they could not live in quarters Recently used by “scab” labour until all traces of them had been obliterated by a thorough fumigation. The Union Company had no option hut to do this, and the Tamahine’s departure was then postponed until' 1 p.m. to-morrow.

Pending definite official news that the hold-up, had ended, , the shipping companies this morning nominated waterside, labour for work during the afternoon. Early in the afternoon, however, a numbpr of waterside workers decided that the ships could wait another day, and left the wharf. This left some of the companies short of labour, but they managed to handle most of the cargo offering. The Monowai will remain here until next Thursday. The Kaitoa will remain here until Monday, when she will resume her running in the Nelson ferry service in conjunction with the Matangi, which is due here to-morrow morning from Nelson in place of the Arahura, which was paid off and was laid up" at Nelson to-day. Six ships which had been laid up at Wellington, the Holmglen, Kapiti, Holmdale, Kopuni, Port Whangarei and Inaha, were successful in obtaining their crews and left the port to-day.

POSITION AT AUCKLAND NINETEEN VESSELS TO SAIL. (Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, May 12. The ship owners’ terms for the settlement 1 of the present trouble were accepted by the seamen on strike at Auckland at a meeting this afternoon. Nineteen ships will be signing on crews at Auckland now that the dispute is over. Most of the vessels are to sail this evening, but one or two will remain in port until to-morrow or next week in order to pick up their ordinary running, which has been interrupted by the strike. In anticipation of the dispute with the seamen being settled the Northern Company announced this morning the sailing of 11 of its vessels, nine of which have been held up at Auckland. Three Union Company steamers have been held up at Auckland—the Wingatui, which is loaded for southern ports, , the Waimea, loaded for Gisborne and Napier, and the Kanna, which arrived 'from Walpole Island on May 7 with a cargo of phosphate, part of which is for Wanganui. The Wingatui and the Kanna will engage crews this afternoon and sail this evening, the Wingatui going to Portland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin and Timaru, and the Kanna to Wanganui. The Waimea is to remain in port until next week, sailing for Gisborne and Napier on Tuesday next to pick up her usual running. SATISFACTION WITH SETTLEMENT GOVERNOR-GENERAL GRATJ.Fi ED. (Pee Uniteu I,’rks.- \ssim iaiiiix. i AUCKLAND, May 12. Satisfaction with the settlement of the shipping and mining disputes was expressed by the Governor-General (Lord Bledisloe) during an address at the annual . meeting of the Flying Angel Missions to Seamen. “ A twofold event occurred in the last 48 hours for which every serious thinking man and woman in the Dominion must be devoutly thankful,” said his Excellency. “Two industrial disputes, one of them in the shipping world, which threatened serious unrest and disquiet if perpetuated through the winter, have been amicably settled. It was with real joy and the feeling that I had the people of the Dominion behind me that 1 despatched telegrams to-day to the

Minister of Mines and the Minister cf Marine expressing profound delight that the two sides to these disputes had seen fit to come to a settlement, remembering that if ever it were true in the past it is true to-day that when one member of the community suffers the other members suffer.” His Excellency said he was confident that it was consideration for the public interest that had been mainly instrumental in bringing about the agreements. » ' DUNEDIN SEAMEN NEW AGREEMENT ACCEPTED CREWS TO SIGN ARTICLES TO-DAY. At a meeting of the* Dunedin branch of the Seamen’s Union yesterday the men decided to accept the agreement arrived at by the Federated Seamen’s Union executive and the shipowners in Wellington. Officials of the local branch of the Union Company stated last evening that it is hoped to secure a crew for the Waipiata and despatch her to-day for east coast ports and Auckland. The j Waipiata has been held up at Dunedin since the commencement of the dispute. It was also announced that the Poolta, which has been held up at Wellington, is expected to sail to-day for Dunedin, in which case she will load here on Monday for Napier and Gisborne. The Waimarino, also held up at Wellington, is expected to reach Dunedin early next week. She will load for east coast ports and Auckland. The Waikawa, with cargo from Pacific Coast ports, is expected to obtain a crew at Lyttelton to-day and sail to-morrow for Dunedin. She should arrive on Monday. The intercolonial cargo steamer Waikouaiti is expected to leave Lyttelton to-night for Bluff, Sydney and Newcastle. She will load at the Australian ports about the end of next week for Bluff, Dunedin, Timaru and Lyttelton. The Wainui, which has been among the idle fleet at Wellington, will probably sail to-day for Bluff and Melbourne. She will load at the | Victorian port for Bluff, Dunedin, Lyttelton and Wellington. The Union Company also hopes to despatch the Opihi from Wellington within the next two or j three days for Dunedin to load for Wel- | lington, Nelson and New Plymouth. | It is. fully expected that all the small j coastal ships will take up their usual | running during the next few days. The j Wanganui traders, Calm and Holmdale, and those vessels which trade between South Island ports and Port Waikato, will rißiiume their running almost immediately and will arrive at Dunedin some time next week.

The Canterbury Steam Shipping Company’s steamer Storm was removed from the Birch street wharf to a loading berth at the Kitchener street wharf yesterday morning. The local agents stated last evening that the Storm would sail for way ports and Wanganui after notification had been received that a crew was to be engaged for the vessel. There le every possibility that the Storm will sail to-day.