A TRIVIAL AFFAIR

Southland Times, Issue 22156, 26 October 1933, Page 6

A TRIVIAL AFFAIR

DEMONSTRATION ON DIOMEDE. (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, October 25. Interviewed regarding the singing of the “Red Flag” by some New Zealand ratings on H.M.S. Diomede Captain Graham said the affair was very trivial. The Diomede had only recently completed, refitting and it was because of a necessity for pushing on with certain work in view of an impending inspection that the men were kept at work for two hours in the afternoon of Labour Day. No extra leave had been promised, but the leave men had been given an hour and a half extra to show how little importance was attached to the occurrence. Some hundreds of visitors were admitted to the ship immediately afterwards. When the Diomede was commissioned a few months ago he had told the crew that any man could obtain access to him at any time to state a grievance or any other personal matter. That rule was still in force. He had the New Zealand ratings paraded before him yesterday morning and had not even reprimanded them. He had stated to them that he and most of the officers were the guests of New Zealand, having come out from England to give the New Zealand ratings the benefit of their experience and as guests they were entitled to courteous treatment. ‘“One request I did make,” said the Captain, “was that if they must sing that good old tune to which the words of the ‘Red Flag’ are written they would sing it in the original German words which are so much finer than the English words.” The Diomede sailed this morning for Akaroa as arranged to meet the flagship Dunedin.