TROUBLE ON SMALL STEAMERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3315, 26 September 1917, Page 40

TROUBLE ON SMALL STEAMERS

OFFICES OF SEAMEN'S UNION RAIDED. WELLINGTON, September 19. The detectives yesterday afternoon raided the local office of the Federated Seamen's Union and searched the books and papers, some of which were seized. So fa.r as is known, nothing w%a discovered of a compromising character. The police action is eaid to be connected with the present dispute between the seamen and owners of small coastal vessels now idle owing to trouble over the demand for two men in a watch. As a result of the seamen's strike, 23 coastal 5-teamers are idle—l 7 at Wellington, three at Napier, two at Lyttelton, and one at Wanganui. The Shipowners' Federation held a meeting this afternoon, but the chairman said there was nothing to report. REFERENCE IN THE HOUSE. WELLINGTON, September 19. Reference to the search made of the office of the. Seamen's Union was made in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr Webb said he understood that the search was carried out under the authority of the military, and that Colonel Gibbon had issued the warrant for the search. Later the searchers went to the house of ihe secretary of the union and searched it high and low. They then went to the president's home, to the assistant secretary's, and then to the house of Mr Donovan, a member of tho executive. He wished to ask the Prime Minister whether he considered this kind of work was calculated to create that industrial quiet necessary if we wished to avert trouble. He wished to know whether the sam-j authorities had made a complete search of the headquarters of the Employers' Association. He could say that two of the shipowners concerned in the dispute agreed to the proposals of the union, but the Shipowners' Federation came along, and these two companies immediately withdrew their proposals. He would ask the Prime Minister whether in future these searches would be made by the police, and not under Colonel Gibbon's orders, and whether he would say that tho Employers' Association office was searched.

The Hon. A. L. Herdman replied to the question:—"lt is no doubt known to the hon. gentleman," he said, "that a serious situation has arisen in regard to small steamships. Through a combination of men engaged on these snips, about 20 or 25 ships have been prevented from carrying on the business of the country. I need not toil hon. members that this is a very serious matter indeed in time of war. As the result of a combination on the part of somo persons in the community the whole situation has becQine acute, and apparently a strike has been organised. For the purposo of obtaining informat.'on about the strike it became necessary for the police to search the premises of the union in order to obtain evidence if such existed. The Government also searched the secretary's residence and the president's, and those of other members, of' the executive. I do not know the result of that search, and if the police are of opinion that a search of the office of the Employers' Federation will enable them to get further evidence* there will be no hesi-

tation on the part of the police in searching that institution.'' In connection with the coastal steamship trouble, \V. T. Young (general secretary) ond F. Howell (assistant secretary Seamen's Union) have been served with summonses oharging them separately, under the War Regulations with inciting a seditious strike.