STOKERS’ BRAWL

Southland Times, Issue 18931, 3 May 1923, Page 6

STOKERS’ BRAWL

“DRUNKEN BOLSHEVIK IDEA.” TROUBLE AT LYTTELTON. (Per United Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, May 2. Twenty-one members of the stokehold crew of the liner Dorset were each fined £5 at the Lyttelton Magistrate’s Court today for combining to impede the progress of the voyage of the ship. Three of the men were also fined 6s Bd, one day’s pay, and costs for being absent without leave. The men were arrested last night after what was described as the worst demonstration seen in Lyttelton for years. A witness said that the men, most of whom were in a drunken condition, were brawling and singing on the wharf. The master of the vessel, Captain S. Somers-Vine, said the refusal of the men to undertake duty was the result of a “drunken Bolshevik idea.” He also said that the whole affair was of a most serious nature. The whole responsibility was his and if anything went wrong the men came first to him, yet when things were all well, they refused to obey the lawful order given by him. A number of the men availed themselves of their opportunity to question the-cap-tain, but most of the questions put were disallowed by the Bench because they were not admissible.

The second engineer said that the men were, given every opportunity on board the ship but they refused. One of the men said that had the captain used tact, all would have been well. Heaphy, one of the men charged, said he had gone down to the ship on time and found there were men short, so finding ‘nothing doing” he went ashore. He and the others did not want to do extra work, and four hours at a time was as much as any man of them could stand at the fires. The Captain: I assured you I only wanted to get the Dorset to her anchorage. Witness: I never heard you say that. BOTTLE FOUND AFTER TWENTY YEARS. Recently a party of explorers opened pu i cairn that they discovered on Cathedral /eaks, Lake Manapouri. To their surprise, they found an empty bottle of Baxter’s Lung Preserver, with a note stating that it had been placed there by a party over twenty years ago. Included in the name were Messrs S. H. Moreton, C. White Parsons (now of Masterton), and Leo Jacobsen (of Wellington). Apparently the merits of “Baxter’s” were realised by these trampers two decades back. To-day, Baxter’s Lung Preserver is in greater demand than ever, and is now the favourite cough and cold remedy from one end of New Zealand to the other. “Baxter’s” is free from harmful narcotics, and is good for grandchild to granddad, and all the ages in between. This rich, warm, soothing specific, which possesses wonderful tonic properties, can be obtained from all chemists and stores, in generoussized bottle.?, at 2/6; family size 4/6. Better order a bottle of Baxter’s Lung Preserver to-day.— (Advt.).