BRITISH SEAMEN'S BOYCOTT.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXIX, Issue 3942, 10 July 1918, Page 3

BRITISH SEAMEN'S BOYCOTT.

On behalf-of British seamen Mr Havelock Wilson has announced that in consequence of Germany's latest crime—the sinking of the Llandovery Castle—the period of maritime boycott of that country after the war will be extended to six years. The lines.upon which it is proposed to organise the boycott were explained by Mr Wilson in a statement made in May. It could not be . too widely known, he said, that British seamen were in deadly earnest in their determination to apply the> punitive boycott to Germany after the war, a boycott which would take the form of refusing to have anything to do with the transport of goods to or. from Germany. "If," he continued, "there are people at home foolish enough to think that this penalty will not be exacted to the uttermost, I can assure them that I have most positive proof in my possession that the commercial folk in Germany are living in no such fool's paradise." ''After explaining that the Merchant Seamen's League, which was rapidly enrolling members in all parts of the country, was prepared to take political action if necessary, Mr Wilson observed that: "We do not want Parliament to interfere. We want this thing to be carried through by the people." Asked how it was proposed to carry out the boycott policy after the war without the sanction of Parliament, he answered : "Easily enough No man can be compelled to work for any particular firm, or buy from any one shop ; nor can our members be made to work for firms that deal with Germany, if they make up their minds not to do so. Our league, as well as our union, is in this business to the last man. Masters and officers are with us in hearty unanimity, and it would be interesting to know where the owners—even if they wished to do so, which is a far-fetched assumption —are to get their seamen to handle stuff in any way connected with Germany, seeing that there is not v» man in the service who will be a party to such work." <

The conducting of a meeting—even a quiet and orderly one—must be classed amonf; those ta-:ks that are not so simple as they look, and chairmanship is really a very wide subject of study indeed (says the Otago Daily Times). A reporter in the course of his duties grows accustomed to seeing many mistakes in procedure ; but it is very rarely that a meeting loses its way so often as did the first annual meeting of the Manufacturers' Association. Apologies and correspondence were dealt with between the leading and the confirmation of the minutes. Then the adoption of-!ho balancesheet was moved without it having been submitted to the meeting at all, and it was only after the balancesheet and the annual report had been adopted together that the chairman asked for discussions upon them. Soon after the discussion started the chairman broke it off to deal with the election of officers. After two had been appointed, however,, this part of the business was found not to be pro. ceeding smoothly, and another change was tried, and an invited speaker called on to address the meeting. A long discussion followed, and finally when the election of office-bearers was taken up again fresh results were obtained, and the gentleman who had been appointed vice-president earlier in the evening was rapidly promoted to the position of president. Fortunately nothing of importance was involved, and no one was disposed to raise points of order, but the while effect was somewhat confusing, and at times quite amusing.