DONKEYMEN’S DUTIES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16871, 28 October 1925, Page 13

DONKEYMEN’S DUTIES.

Prosecution at Auckland. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. The Inspector of Awards proceeded against the Seamen’s Federation for a penalty of £2OO for alleged incitement to breaches of awards, and against William Young, secretary of the Federation, and Charles Felles, secretary of the Wellington branch of the Federation, mi a similar charge.

Mr Fair, Crown Solicitor, conducted the prosecution, and the. defence was undertaken by Mr W. T. Young. Mr Fair said the case a.losc out of a decision by the union (or Federation) about the duties of firemen 'acting as dtinkeynien on ships. The award provided that in port a, fireman may be called upon to maintain power for any consecutive eight hours, and shall look after the engines and auxiliaries as is customary. The union considered the question of working valves or machinery in the engine-room, and advised the men to ignore that provision. Mr W. T. Young, secretary of the Federation, admitted having had a circular printed by instructions from the executive. II was intended to lie sent to members, but had not been sent. The effect of the instructions was that the working of'machinery in the engineroom was not- the work of unqualified men or firemen. Taking machinery to pieces and putting it together was a different matter.

John Clover, manager of the New Zealand Worker, gave evidence that the circular was printed at his office. 'I here was a mistake in the eii'cuhn.', a line having hen left out, vi/.., “in any case greasers at sea are only to oil machinery and firemen at sea only to maintain a head of steam to operate machinery, neither to he, in charge of or to look after machinery at sea.”

Charles Bertie Fettes, president of tile Federation, said his name; was attached to the circular. The objection taken to working valves in the engineroom was with a view to the preservation i>f life. Evidence was given by Mattricc Patterson, assistant superintendent to the Northern Steamship Company, as to the men refusing to work, and by John D. Douglas, engineer of the steamer Gleneig, that a fireman informed him that his union had instructed him not to do work other than firing and oiling. The case is proceeding.