SHIPS TIED UP

Southland Times, Issue 25362, 14 August 1935, Page 7

SHIPS TIED UP

SEAMEN’S STRIKE CLAIMS FOR OVERTIME DISMISSAL BY COURT MORE VESSELS IDLE (United Press Assn. —Telegraph Copyright.) (Rec. 10.10 p.m.) Sydney, August 13 The shipping hold-up became still more serious to-day with the dismissal by the Central Summons Court this afternoon of the claims of three of the Murada’s men for overtime. The Court heard three claims totalling £1 3/4 for overtime payments allegedly due because of the failure of the freighter Murada to leave Port Kembla on time on Jttne 22. Counsel for the company disputed the right of the men to payment. The defence was that the Murada was unavoidably delayed because ot the failure of the cargo to arrive to time, for which the owners could not be held responsible. Overtime could only be claimed under a special clause of the men’s 1925 agreement. The Magistrate upheld the objection. Four More Ships Idle. Four additional ship, three of them owned by companies not previously involved, were rendered idle to-day, namely, the Colonial Sugar Company s Fiona, the Adelaide Steamship Company’s Mundalla, Mcllwraith and McEacharn’s Katoomba and the Union Company’s Koranai. Their crews gave 24 hours’ notice. No men offered to-day for the Orungal, which was scheduled to leave to-night for Queensland ports. Another effort to obtain a crew will be made to-morrow. A mass meeting of seamen will be held to-morrow when the moderates, it is reported, will attempt to bring peace. The Disputes Committee of the Trades Hall Council will also consider the situation. The Marine Stewards’ Union hotly opposed the strike and intends to do its best to bring about a speedy settleA committee of the Federal Cabinet met in Sydney to-day and considered the strike from the viewpoint that all hope of a settlement in a normal way had been abandoned. The Acting Federal Attorney-General, Senator T. Brennan, at its conclusion said the Government had considered the courses open to it in the event of a continuance of the shipping trouble, but hoped that before the adoption of the measures at its disposal, which it desired to avoid, the seamen would take immediate steps in the direction of a settlement. Senator Brennan added that the Cabinet committee had been in telephonic communication with the Prime Minister in regard to to-day’s deliberations, which would be continued at Canberra to-morrow, when almost a full meeting would review the position. Vessels Tied up at Melbourne. At Melbourne the passenger steamer Dimboola and the freighters Colac and Goulburn were tied up to-day. The Yarra will be involved to-morrow. The Daily Telegraph expresses the opinion that a complete paralysis of inter-State shipping is likely as both the shipowners and the seamen recognize the impossibility of confining the hold-up to the Huddart Parker Line if the dispute lasts a few more days. One decision of yesterday’s meeting, which declared that the Murada men must be employed when vacancies occur on any ship, is almost certain to cause an extension of the strike.